


Bond

by nadiacreek



Series: Triad Verse [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, BDSM, Bisexuality, Conditions approaching sex slavery, F/M, First Love, First Time, M/M, Multi, Open Relationships, Political Oppression, Polyamory, Triad Verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-09-30
Packaged: 2017-12-13 02:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/818999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nadiacreek/pseuds/nadiacreek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where doms are a small minority of the population, everyone hopes to have a triad marriage someday--two subs and one dom together. But building a triad is no easy feat, especially when Kurt and Blaine have an important difference between them. Is a relationship between two people worth starting at all, if turning it into a triad might be impossible?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story needs more warnings than I can possibly tag for: Non-monogamous relationships. Sexuality of some characters is different from canon. Kurt and Blaine have sex with multiple other people in this story, some of which will be shown and others of which will be just mentioned. There are threesomes. There is both gay and straight sex. This is a D/s universe. Some but not all of the sex involves those elements. There will be various kinks and types of sex, not all of which I have even decided on up-front, but I will post warnings for anything unusual or potentially disturbing on the chapter in which it appears. This universe has systemic political and social oppression of a group of people, including conditions that approach sex slavery. (Spoiler alert: The oppressed group is the doms.)
> 
> There are two (possibly three) stories in this verse. The endgame relationship in this universe is a monogamous triad with Dave Karofsky as the dom, and Kurt and Blaine as his subs. HOWEVER, Karofsky is not in the first multi-chapter story ("Bond") at all and it does not end with a cliffhanger. It is perfectly fine to read just the first story and stop before Karofsky ever enters the picture. If you do that, you'll be left with a nice, happy, romantically committed (though non-monogamous) Klaine with a lovely future in front of them. I will post separate warnings for the second story.
> 
> This is a work-in-progress, and I do not have any particular schedule of updates.
> 
> A huge thank you to wingsofwriting and kittenboywonder for beta-reading and offering helpful suggestions.

_Kurt Hummel is a cocktease._

Kurt ran his finger over the graffiti inside the bathroom stall. It was still there, even though most of the other lewd comments had been cleaned off or painted over during NYADA’s summer break. He supposed it was difficult to cover up something that had actually been etched in with a knife.

The graffiti had upset him when he’d first noticed it last year, just before Christmas. But over time he’d developed a certain sort of twisted pride in his reputation. It showed how much different the world of New York and NYADA was from the world of Lima and McKinley High. Back in high school he’d been bullied for his high voice and his unorthodox clothing choices. Boys who might have liked him despite (or even because of) his quirks were driven away by the knowledge that dating him would bring the shadow of loserdom onto them, too. Even Sam, who had seemed interested at first, had ended up dating Quinn instead, and then Puck, and then Mercedes, and then Brittany. Kurt cocked his head to one side. That was more girls than most boys dated, now that he thought about it. He wondered idly whether Sam preferred women, or whether it had just been a coincidence.

Those qualities that had made Kurt an Official Loser of McKinley High, though—those were the very things that NYADA students valued him for. His countertenor voice was a rare treasure, not something awkward to hide in the back of the boys’ section, straining for low notes that were uncomfortable for him to reach. And his fashion choices, well, everyone at NYADA had their own unique style. Sure, there were still cliques and pressure to conform, just like in high school. But the pressure was much less, and plenty of students—Kurt most certainly included—ignored the entire social system of college and focused on their own priorities.

It had taken Kurt quite a while, during his freshman year, to adjust to the idea that pretty much all the boys here wanted to date him. He hadn’t even realized it at first. He said yes the first time someone asked him on a date, not because he found the guy particularly interesting or attractive, but because _someone was asking him out on a date_. He’d thought he might never get another chance. It was laughable in retrospect. And also kind of guilt-inducing, because yes, he had kind of led that boy on. His name was Joseph, another freshman like Kurt, from Seattle. Even after Kurt was certain he wasn’t attracted to him, he went on several more dates with him because he thought he’d never be able to do any better. It hadn’t been a very nice thing to do, Kurt knew. He should probably apologize, the next time he ran into Joseph between classes or at a party or something.

After Joseph had been Esteban, and then Danny, and then a long string of first dates that went nowhere. Kurt wondered which one of them had written the graffiti here, or whether it had been someone he’d turned down for a date in the first place, or even someone else entirely, someone who had heard the gossip going around and disliked him for some other reason, or who just didn’t care. He’d never know. He had a lot of friends at NYADA, sure. But there were also a lot of people who didn’t like his confidence, his sassy retorts, or the fact that he put in a ton of work to get to the head of the class. He put in so much work, in fact, that dating was not a big priority for him. And that was part of the reason why he’d never gotten serious with anyone.

Adam was the one exception. Kurt sighed, thinking of him. They’d dated for three months before Kurt broke it off. He hadn’t wanted to break up with him. Adam was older, attractive, and also kind and funny and sweet. Kurt had gotten along with him splendidly. He was the one guy Kurt had truly wanted a serious relationship with.

But Kurt had made a rule for himself. Before it got serious enough to sleep with someone, he had to tell them his secret. He wouldn’t let himself get in too deep and then end up hurting someone later on—and hurting himself, too—when he finally had to tell. He refused to let that happen.

He’d wanted to tell Adam. He really had. But it was too scary. In the end, he’d chosen to keep his secret and give up Adam.

It had been a stupid decision. Maybe it was a stupid rule. Adam graduated at the end of last school year, and he was back in London now, trying out for roles in the theater scene there. He’d always been upfront about his plans to return to the UK. The relationship would have been short term no matter what. Kurt could have relaxed his rule because of the situation. He could have slept with Adam, had a real relationship through the end of the school year and the summer, found out what it was like to share his bed and share his heart, even just a little bit, with another sub.

Kurt shook his head slowly. No, he’d made this rule for a reason. Start making exceptions and they’ll grow and grow until they swallow the rule entirely. He’d done the right thing, breaking up with Adam when he couldn’t bring himself to tell. Anyway, if he couldn’t trust Adam with his secret, he wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship with him anyway.

So maybe the graffiti was true. Maybe Kurt was a cocktease. If that meant he was attractive and had high standards, well, that was something he could embrace. There was no need to go around sleeping with subs indiscriminately. He made sure to visit a dom about once a week, to keep himself calm and relaxed and his hormones at a manageable level. When he decided to have sex with a fellow sub one day, it would be because he was in love. It would be a real relationship with someone he trusted, someone he might even want to spend the rest of his life with. Until then, he’d go on doing what he’d been doing. Even if that meant being called names behind his back. He’d faced much worse back in Lima, that was for sure.

He washed his hands and dried them, checking his reflection in the mirror to make sure he looked perfect before he left the restroom. And then he walked out the door and into the hallway, his head held high, swinging his hips a little bit to attract attention to his ass. If you’ve got it, he thought to himself, flaunt it.

Kurt hadn’t gone five steps when a group of girls went suddenly quiet as he passed. He heard them burst into giggles behind him. He racked his brain to figure out what might have made them laugh. He’d taken a good long look in the mirror, so there couldn’t be something on his face. He glanced down at himself, hopefully being unobtrusive. Nothing on his shirt, as far as he could see. His fly wasn’t open. No toilet paper stuck to his shoe. Everything seemed alright. Was it possible they were laughing at someone else?

A red-collared dom walked past in the opposite direction, holding some books tightly against his chest with both arms. Kurt veered to one side to give the him a wide berth, but he noticed the muscular young man looking at him curiously. It was no one he knew. Kurt avoided the NYADA student domhouse because dalliances there could only lead to awkward situations and vicious gossip. So he couldn’t understand why this dom was staring at him.

Kurt entered his classroom and sat down beside a girl he recognized but couldn’t remember the name of. “Hi,” he said.

She arched an eyebrow and smirked at him. “Hi,” she said before turning her full attention to the printout of the syllabus she was holding.

Kurt wrinkled his forehead. He couldn’t figure out why everyone was acting so strangely. It got no better after class, when yet another girl walked up to him. She handed him a folded piece of paper and leaned over in an entirely inappropriate manner, bringing her face close to his ear while simultaneously giving him a shocking view down her cleavage. “I prefer female doms,” she whispered seductively, then flipped her hair and sauntered away.

Kurt unfolded the paper. _Ginny 555-2971_. He wanted to crumple it up and throw it in the trash. But he looked around and saw the other students watching him, so he folded it up again and shoved it in his pocket. A boy snickered at him as he left the room, but Kurt still could not figure out why.

\----------------------------------------

Rachel made roasted vegetable sandwiches for dinner, and Kurt cut some pieces of meat off the rotisserie chicken he’d bought at the market to add to his sandwich. The vegetables were delicious, but he didn’t understand how she could survive without eating real food.

“People seemed to be acting really weird around me at school today,” Kurt said, trying to keep his tone of voice casual. “You don’t happen to have any idea why, do you?”

“Weird how?” she asked. Her voice seemed somewhat breathy and nervous. She knew something, Kurt could tell.

“People kept giggling and whispering when I walked by them. Stuff like that. Two different girls asked me out. _Girls_. One of them told me she prefers female doms, as if that was supposed to turn me on or something? Like, why do I care what kind of dom she sees?”

“Oh. Hmm. That’s interesting.” Rachel took a giant bite of her sandwich.

“Come on, Rachel. What do you know?”

“Mmchwng sry!”

“Very pleasant,” Kurt said, annoyed. He stared at her relentlessly as she chewed and swallowed.

“Um … so … I may have heard a rumor …” Rachel played with her napkin anxiously.

“Out with it, Rachel. I’m going to find out sooner or later. What did you do?”

“It wasn’t me, I swear! I don’t know who started it, but it definitely was not me, it was all over school already before I even heard about it!”

“What is it?” Kurt could imagine a thousand lies that might be spreading about him, but he couldn’t think of anything that would add up with the way people were acting. He didn’t understand how a vicious rumor about him, something that would be bad enough to make Rachel nervous to even tell him about it, could make people _more_ interested in dating him.

Rachel sighed. “People are saying you’re straight.”

Kurt was flabbergasted. “I … they … what?”

“I told them it couldn’t possibly be true,” Rachel said. “I told them that if you were straight, you definitely would have asked me out by now. I mean, we’ve been best friends for years, and what straight guy could _possibly_ resist the charms of Rachel Barbra Berry? But for some reason that didn’t convince _anyone_.”

“Oh my god.” Kurt stared at his sandwich for a moment, trying to put the pieces of this together. “Why would anyone think I’m straight? I’ve _never_ dated a girl. Not even once.”

“Which is weird, you know,” Rachel pointed out. “I mean, of course you’re bi like practically everyone else. Probably with some preference for men, given your dating history. But when you think about it, that makes a great cover. If you never date girls at all, nobody would ever suspect that you’re _only_ interested in girls. That’s what they’re saying, anyway. That you date all those guys as a cover, and you’re not actually attracted to the guys, which is why you never put out. Um. Their phrase, not mine, sorry. And meanwhile you’re getting all the … um … sex with women—that’s not the phrase they used, by the way—that you need over at the domhouse.”

“Oh my god.” Had he just said that? It was worth saying again.

“It’s not … it’s not true, is it?” Rachel asked.

“No! Of course it’s not true!”

“Okay, just … checking.”

“Oh my god.” Kurt picked at his sandwich, tearing off crumbs of bread and dropping them back onto the plate. He realized all of a sudden that it would have been _much_ better to throw away Ginny’s phone number instead of putting it in his pocket while everyone was watching. He’d unwittingly fueled the rumors. He wondered if she was actually interested in him at all, or whether the whole come-on had been a setup to try to figure out whether the rumor was true. “Oh my god,” he said again.

“Come on, Kurt, it’s not the end of the world,” Rachel said, trying to sound reassuring now. “Lots of people are straight. There’s nothing wrong with that. Your own brother is straight.”

“Finn is a _dom_ , that’s completely different.” Most people, both doms and subs, were bisexual, but liking only one gender was much more common in doms than subs. There was a reason why the most common form of triad was two same-sex subs with an opposite-sex dom. Kurt’s parents were that way: his dominant father Burt with his two subs, Carole and Elizabeth, before Kurt’s mother had passed away. So were Rachel’s parents: her dominant mother Shelby with her two subs, Hiram and LeRoy. Other gender configurations existed and were legally recognized, but the same-sub-op-dom relationship was the easiest and most common because it aligned with the most common natural preferences.

“Okay, but still, it’s not like it’s anything to be ashamed of. Everyone is interested right now because it’s unusual and because it’s the latest bit of excitement at school. They’ll leave you alone soon enough, as soon as someone else does something the least bit scandalous.”

“I don’t care whether it _should_ be scandalous or not. I’m angry because _it’s_ _not true_!”

“Well, then there’s nothing to worry about, is there?” Rachel took another very large bite of her sandwich.

Kurt sighed and looked down at his plate. Suddenly he wasn’t hungry at all.

\----------------------------------------

Blaine rushed down the staircase. He was going to be late to his first dance class, even though he’d been warned about the dangers of incurring Cassandra July’s wrath. He had no idea where the dance studios were, and once he got there he still had to change out of his street clothes. This was going to be a disaster.

“Excuse me,” a voice called out behind him. It was clearly masculine, but surprisingly high-pitched. Something about it sent chills through Blaine’s body. “Excuse me, you dropped your pen.

Blaine whirled around. Standing three steps above him was a boy who looked exactly as unique and stunning as he sounded. Blaine stared at him, unable to move or speak.

“Your pen?” the boy said, holding it out to him. “It is yours, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure I saw it fall out of your bag.”

Blaine drew in a breath. “Yes. Yes that’s mine. Thank you.” He stepped forward and took the pen from the boy’s hand. Their fingers brushed the slightest bit, and Blaine felt as if a spark of electricity passed between them. The other boy cocked his head to the side, smiling slightly and raising one eyebrow. Blaine realized that he was probably freaking the guy out, staring at him like this.

“My name’s Blaine,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Kurt,” the other boy said in a breathy tone. His hand was soft and smooth and warm. Blaine never wanted to let go, but he also didn’t want to seem like even more of a creep than he already did.

“I’m … uh, I’m late to class,” Blaine stammered. “Actually, I’m lost. Do you know how to get to the dance studios from here?”

“It’s down that hall and to the left,” Kurt said. “I’m … headed in that direction anyway. Here, come on.” He grabbed Blaine’s hand and darted in the direction he’d indicated, dragging Blaine along behind him.

There was no reason Kurt had needed to come with him. The directions weren’t confusing, and the path wasn’t complicated. And there was certainly no reason that Kurt had to hold his hand along the way. Kurt must want to touch him as much as he wanted to touch Kurt. Blaine couldn’t contain his grin as they rushed along the hallway, hand in hand. He nearly tripped when Kurt stopped abruptly in front of a door.

“Through there,” Kurt said. “I … I have to go. I’m going to be late, my class is all the way on the other side of—” He cut himself off, blushing.

“Thanks for showing me the way,” Blaine said. “Could I … would you like to get together sometime? Get dinner, maybe?”

“I’d like that,” Kurt said.

They spent another minute in the hallway, exchanging phone numbers. Blaine had never been so happy to be late to class.


	2. Chapter 2

A black leather cuff around each wrist marked Cassandra July as a claimed dom with two subs. Blaine’s eyes instinctively flicked to her neck to find the color of her collar, but she wasn’t wearing one. It took him a second to find the spark of color she was using in its place—a thin strip of yellow trim sewn to the neckline of her black leotard.

A thrill of fear ran through Blaine, and his heart beat a little faster. Only claimed doms with green and blue certifications, signifying five and then ten years without a reported violent incident, were permitted to work with children. But, of course, he wasn’t a child anymore. This was college, and apparently the one-year mark was enough. Surely she wasn’t dangerous, he told himself. Perhaps she’d been claimed less than five years ago. It didn’t have to mean that she’d actually had a violent incident after the claim began.

“You should be safe, she only takes it out on girls,” a voice whispered in his ear. Blaine turned and saw another student standing beside him, a tall, lanky boy with a shock of red hair.

Blaine tried to control his facial expression. He hadn’t realized that his fear was showing. “How do you know?”

The boy shrugged. “Rumors. I heard that both her subs are men, but she really likes the ladies, so sometimes she takes out her frustrations on the girls in class.”

Cassandra banged her ballet rod on the floor. “Welcome to Dance 101,” she called out. “This is NYADA, do not expect to be coddled. I hope you all enjoy pain.”

Well, Blaine thought, this is _certainly_ not high school. But the red-headed boy had been right. Blaine managed to fade into the background while Cassandra went on a ruthless tirade directed at a tiny girl with bleached blonde hair. His thoughts drifted away from the teacher’s harsh words, and he found himself thinking about Kurt.

Kurt, the most gorgeous guy he had ever seen in his life. Skin so pale it practically glowed with its own light. Long legs that seemed to go on forever, and slender but muscular arms to match. A little gleam in his eye that hinted at a quirky sense of humor, or maybe just amusement at the world around him. Extremely crushworthy material.

And oh, did Blaine ever have a crush. He could admit it, and even laugh at himself for his tendency to fall for boys the moment he met them. One of these days it actually _would_ be love at first sight. Maybe this was the one time. If it was, he certainly didn’t want to miss it by telling himself it was only a silly little crush and he shouldn’t act on it.

What was the harm, really? The possibility of a humiliating rejection was nothing compared to the chance of a glorious life together with his soulmate. He would ask Kurt out as soon as he could think of a suitable way to do it. Their vague agreement to get together sometime didn’t count. Those kinds of things too often disappeared into nothingness. Blaine wouldn’t let that happen. A bold move was required here.

If Blaine were back at Dalton, he’d get the Warblers to help him serenade Kurt. But he didn’t think he could convince any of his new friends at NYADA to do that. He’d gotten along well with his hallmates at orientation, but he didn’t know them well enough to ask for something like that. Even if it _was_ a performing arts school.

Sometimes the simplest plan was the best one. He had Kurt’s phone number. He’d just call and ask him for a date straight out, no beating around the bush. And he’d do it as soon as possible. Right after class. Let him know Blaine was clearly, unequivocally interested. Because he was.

The ballet rod landed against the backs of his thighs, just hard enough to sting for a second. “What are you doing with your arms, shrimp?”

Blaine adjusted his position. “Sorry, Ma’am,” he said, but she had already moved on.

\----------------------------------------

Kurt stared at his phone in surprise when he saw the name ‘Blaine Anderson’ on his caller ID. He’d only just met this guy two hours ago. This guy who’d looked at him with eyes sparkling like stars in the sky, and with one brief touch of his fingers had made it impossible for Kurt to walk away. And now the phone was ringing and ringing while Kurt stared at it dumbly.

Kurt Hummel was not some naive freshman straight off the bus from Ohio. No, he was the most sought-after guy at NYADA, gorgeous and unattainable, and he must be out of his mind to feel butterflies in his stomach as he hit the ‘answer’ button. He could handle this. He could be confident and flirty and fun. He had this under control.

“Hi, Blaine,” he said into the phone, trying not to let his nervousness sound too obvious.

“So, I was wondering whether you’re free tonight,” Blaine said without any preliminaries.

His straightforwardness was startling but endearing. Clearly he had not heard any of the rumors about Kurt. If he’d heard this latest nonsense about Kurt being straight, he wouldn’t be asking him out on a date. And if he’d heard about Kurt’s dating history, he wouldn’t be bold enough to presume that someone so desirable would be available for a same-night date. It was refreshing, in a way, to think about going out on a date with someone who had no preconceptions about him.

“Maybe,” Kurt said in a teasing tone. “What’s in it for me?”

“I was hoping I could take you out to dinner.”

“Dinner, hmm? Most people start out with coffee for the first date.”

“I don’t know about that,” Blaine said, and Kurt could hear him teasing back. “Coffee is a sacred ritual. I’m not sure I’m ready to share that with you yet. I mean, we just met. I’m not that kind of guy.”

Kurt laughed. “Well then, by all means, let’s do things properly. I wouldn’t want to rush you into something as important as coffee. Dinner it is.”

“Excellent,” Blaine said. “I’m new here, care to suggest a restaurant?”

Kurt thought about it for a second. “There’s this great middle eastern place a few blocks from campus. It’s kind of a hole in the wall, but the food is amazing. I’ll meet you in the school lobby and we can walk there together, if you like. Is 6:30 too early?”

“That sounds great. See you then.”

Kurt hung up the phone, buzzing with excitement. He did have plans for that night, but they were easy enough to change. He called his domhouse’s reception desk right away. “Hi Cindy. I have an appointment with Jonathan tonight, but I’m going to need to reschedule, something came up. I don’t have his direct number, can you let him know? Tomorrow would be fine, or another day this week … yeah, I could do tomorrow morning, before class. Perfect, thanks. Tell him to just send a text if that’s not okay for whatever reason. Great, thank you!”

He slipped the phone into his pocket, a grin on his face, and headed off to his next class.

\----------------------------------------------------

Kurt leaned back in his chair and watched Blaine swipe a piece of pita bread around the little dish to get the last remaining bit of baba ghanoush. “Who ever thought mashed eggplant could taste this good?” Blaine asked. “Seriously, how come all the food in New York is incredible?”

“Some people say it’s the water—”

“I thought that was just for the bagels,” Blaine said with his mouth full.

“But I think it’s the competition. There are half a dozen other middle eastern restaurants within a short walk of here. That’s more than in all of Lima. If the food’s not top-notch, people will just go to another one. Survival of the fittest.”

“I thought survival of the fittest was about _not_ getting eaten.”

Kurt laughed. Blaine tore off another piece of pita, and then looked mournfully at the empty dishes on the table and dropped the bread onto his plate. “Next time we’ll order more,” Kurt said.

“Next time, huh?” Blaine smiled at him.

Kurt smiled back. This was the best date he’d had in a long time. He and Blaine just clicked, somehow. They had tons of stuff in common, even down to being from the same part of Ohio. Within less than two hours, they’d ended up talking like old friends. Not to mention those muscular arms that had been quite the pleasant surprise when Blaine took off his jacket. “I hope there will be a next time,” Kurt ventured. “I want there to be.”

“Me too,” Blaine said. “I don’t want tonight to end, either. Could we go get coffee or something?”

Kurt raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. “I thought coffee was a sacred ritual that you weren’t ready to share with me.”

“Ah!” Blaine exclaimed, pressing the heels of his hands over his eyes. “I knew that one would come back to bite me.” He dropped his hands down into his lap. “It was an excuse to get you to agree to a longer date. Which I’m sure you saw right through.”

“True. But I agreed anyway.”

“You did.” Blaine smiled at him. “So … coffee?”

“I’d love to.” Kurt stood up and took Blaine’s hand as they left the restaurant, a thrill of desire running through him at the contact.

He brought Blaine to one of his favorite coffeeshops, just a block away. They got their coffee in ceramic mugs and sat together on a shabby chic brown velvet couch. The inch of space between them quickly disappeared, and Kurt found himself leaning up against Blaine’s side, pressing against him in a long curve from shoulder to wrist, hip to ankle.

“This is so comfortable,” Blaine said drowsily, half-sunk into the soft couch. “Somehow I’m just drawn to you … I don’t know why, but it just feels … _right_. You know?”

Kurt leaned his head against Blaine’s shoulder. “It really does.” It felt comfortable and sexy at the same time, which was a combination Kurt never realized could exist.

Blaine lolled his head back, resting it on the back of the couch. “I like you a lot.” His words were slightly slurred.

Kurt laughed. “Are you drunk?”

“Hah! You were with me all night. I was drinking water. And now coffee. Decaf. I’m just tired, I guess. And way too relaxed. Drunk on life.”

“Drunk on New York,” Kurt said happily. “I used to get that way, when I first moved here, just from experiencing the city and everything in it. Still do, sometimes, but less often.”

“New York is _amazing_ ,” Blaine agreed. “Especially the part that’s you.”

“Oh god, you seriously need to get home and go to sleep.”

“Nonono, five more minutes.”

Kurt snuggled closer in to Blaine. “Okay, five more minutes. But then I really have to get going. I live way off campus, all the way in Bushwick.”

Blaine groaned. “Why do you commute that far?”

“Cheap rent. My roommate found the place. She’s a friend from high school, also a NYADA student.”

“Carmen Tibideaux must have a thing for kids from Ohio.”

“Lucky us,” Kurt said.

“Yeah,” Blaine said dreamily. “Lucky us.”

They left the coffeeshop half an hour later. Kurt walked Blaine to his dorm building, because it was on the way to the subway station anyway. They stopped outside the door and stood facing each other, still holding hands, reluctant to part. Kurt had never felt so close to someone this quickly before. Part of him felt like he’d known Blaine forever, but another part was still reveling in the excitement of learning everything about this adorable, attractive, cuddly, sexy guy. He felt the sexual tension between them, but it was tempered by a sense of calm togetherness that he’d never felt before. The combination was more than a little bit intriguing.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” Kurt said.

“Me too,” Blaine said. His eyes flicked down to Kurt’s lips.

A chilly night wind blew out of nowhere, and Kurt shivered.

“Cold?” Blaine asked.

“I didn’t expect to be out this late, or I would have brought a jacket.”

“C’mere…” Blaine let go of Kurt’s hand and pulled him into a hug instead. It seemed ridiculous that this was the best thing Kurt had ever felt in his life, but somehow it was. He hummed softly, letting himself relax in the warmth of Blaine’s body heat.

Kurt turned his head toward Blaine, and there were his lips, inches away. Their mouths met in a soft, gentle kiss, scented with coffee.

“Feels so good,” Kurt whispered. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted nothing more than to keep kissing Blaine. Forever, if possible.

“I know … but you need to get home, the trains will take ages at this hour. And I need to get some sleep, too. My first class is at eight in the morning.”

“Ugh, that’s inhumane.”

“Agreed,” Blaine said, laughing. He let his arms fall to his sides, and Kurt sighed at the lost contact.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Kurt asked, trying not to sound too pathetically hopeful.

“I’ll be here,” Blaine reassured him.

“Okay, then. Goodnight…” Kurt still didn’t want to turn and walk away.

“Goodnight …” Blaine seemed almost to be forcing himself to climb the stairs to the door of the building.

Kurt watched him go in, trying not to focus too much on his ass. When the door clicked shut behind Blaine, he turned and headed to the subway entrance at the end of the block. He wanted to take a deep breath to clear his mind, but the smells of the subway made him think better of it.

There was something special about Blaine. Kurt never fell for anyone this quickly. He rarely was all over people in public like that. But somehow, it just felt _right_ to be touching Blaine. It felt comfortable and pleasurable and arousing all at the same time.

He’d managed to hide the extent of it, but he was incredibly attracted to Blaine. He’d been steering his mind away from impure thoughts the entire evening. Everything about him was seductive, from his honey-gold eyes to his broad shoulders to his juicy backside … Kurt closed his eyes and pictured Blaine’s perfect form in front of him, before realizing that was a really bad idea if he wanted to calm down at all.

He desperately needed to blow off some steam. He was glad he’d been able to schedule the appointment with his dom for the next morning. His hormones might keep him from sleeping well tonight, but by the time he got to school tomorrow, everything would be in balance again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait, everyone. This chapter ended up being really long and challenging to write for a few reasons, plus real life intervened with travel and all sorts of things. I don't expect to take this between chapters normally. And I hope this is worth the wait!

The bed in Blaine’s dorm room had been perfectly comfortable for the past ten nights, but suddenly everything seemed wrong with it. It was too cold, for one thing. And there was a significant lack of someone to snuggle up against.

Blaine heaved a sigh and rolled over from his left side to his right. He’d been trying to fall asleep for an hour, but nothing was working. He told himself for the hundredth time that it was silly to miss Kurt this much just an hour after their first date had ended. They’d shared one kiss and a little bit of cuddling on a couch in a coffee shop, and that was it. It was completely ridiculous and obsessive to feel that Kurt was _missing_ from Blaine’s bed—a bed that Kurt had never even seen, let alone been in.

Blaine sat up, fluffed his pillow, and then lay down again, on his back this time. It wasn’t just thoughts of Kurt that were keeping him awake. He felt twitchy all over, jumpy and unsettled. He’d been under a lot of stress lately, what with moving to a new city, leaving his parents and friends behind, meeting tons of new people in New York, and starting classes at NYADA. It was without a doubt a good development in his life, but the transition was still difficult. He hadn’t settled in yet, found routines and favorite places and groups of close friends to hang out with. He hadn’t even found himself a dom yet.

He groaned when that thought came to him. Of course he felt off. It had been more than two weeks since he’d visited a dom. Jessalyn had been his regular dom for a year, back in Ohio, ever since he’d turned eighteen and started seeing one. He’d been sad to leave her. They had grown pretty close, and very comfortable with each other, over that year. She’d given him an intense session for his send-off to New York. But two weeks was a long time to go without the relief a dom could offer, especially during a period of such intense change in his life. Blaine had meant to look for a dom. He’d just been so busy, he hadn’t realized how much time had gone by.

He glanced at the clock. It was nearly one in the morning by now. But at this rate, he wasn’t likely to get any sleep tonight anyway. He might as well check out the NYADA domhouse, even if he hadn’t gotten around to asking for recommendations. It was a small school, and therefore a small domhouse, so there might not be anyone awake at this hour. Still, he thought, it was worth a try. He got up and pulled on a pair of pants, checked his hair in the mirror to make sure his curls weren’t too all over the place, and then walked down to the lobby. A swipe of his student ID opened the door into the dom wing of the dorm building.

“Hi,” he said awkwardly to the claimed sub sitting at the reception desk. “I’m new here…”

She smiled at him warmly. “No worries! If you’re a NYADA student, you should already be in the computer system. Let me just pull up your record.” Blaine handed over his ID and she typed at the computer for a second. “Yup, you’re all set. It’s a small domhouse, not really jumping at all hours, but I think there are still some people in the common room. You can go right in. Through there, follow the signs.” She gestured at the door to the left.

“Thanks,” Blaine mumbled, reaching for the door as she buzzed the security system off for him. He followed the signs around the corner and through a wide doorway into an area that was a cross between a living room and a rec room. There were couches and chairs around, a pool table and foosball, a large screen TV in one corner, and several vending machines stocked with drinks and snacks. It looked very much like the lounge in his own dorm.

There were three people in the room, all of them with red collars around their necks to signify that they were unclaimed doms. A tall, slim boy was leaning over the pool table, working on his game. He glanced up at Blaine when he entered the room, then shook his head with an apologetic smile. Blaine smiled back and nodded. He didn’t want a guy right now anyway. If the idea was to get Kurt out of his thoughts, he’d need someone as dissimilar as he could find.

The other two were women. A short Asian girl was sitting on a couch practically radiating an aura of ‘fuck off.’ She was dressed in a goth style with multiple layers of heavy black clothes, and streaks of her hair were dyed blue. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and a book balanced on top of them. She looked up at Blaine and glared, then looked back to her book and pointedly ignored him.

A girl with wavy blonde hair and rather large breasts winked at him and stood up from the chair where she’d been scrolling through her phone. “Hi there,” she said seductively, touching his shoulder and pulling him toward her. “Aren’t you a cutie. Looking for something tonight?”

Blaine studied her face. She was definitely what most people would consider beautiful, and he could appreciate it, but she wasn’t his type at all. Her forwardness was making him a bit uncomfortable, too. He had never done the common room mixer thing before. He’d always come in with recommendations and an appointment. And even then, it was rare that he was with a new dom. His regular dom in Ohio, Jessalyn, had been his first one ever, and he’d seen her for more than a year. Then there was Ned, who he’d seen whenever he had a craving for sex with a man, and Stella, who he’d seen a few times when Jessalyn had been unavailable for whatever reason.

Blaine took a step away from her. “Thanks, but, um, no. I mean, maybe, but not … I mean … I’m sorry?” He blushed. He hadn’t meant to be rude, but she really was not that attractive to him.

She moved in closer, erasing the space he’d put between them. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, honey, that’s what we’re here for. I always love the shy, blushing type.” She reached out and stroked his cheek.

Blaine looked down at his feet, unsure of what to do. “No thank you. You’re not my type, no offense, but … I’m not interested.”

To his surprise, she persisted. “Such a sweet little sub, so pretty with your head down like that. Come on, you can admit how much you want it.”

Blaine looked up and met her eyes, trying not to shake with the effort it took to confront a dom who was coming on to him. “I said no. Please don’t make me call security.”

She backed off immediately, fear on her face.

“It’s not her fault.” Blaine turned to locate the source of the voice. It was the Asian girl on the couch, looking up at him with a guilty expression. “I asked Amy if she’d keep people away from me. She’s not going to hurt you. Please don’t report her.”

Blaine looked back and forth from the Asian girl to the blonde he now knew as Amy. They both looked as scared as he felt. He nodded slightly, and Amy scurried off to the pool table. The other girl looked up at him, biting her lip. She was clearly uncomfortable at having drawn his attention. Blaine wondered why she was in the common room at all, if she wanted so badly to be left alone. He thought that perhaps she didn’t want to be alone after all.

“Mind if I sit here?” Blaine gestured to a nearby chair. She shrugged her shoulders, so he sat. “My name is Blaine.”

“Tina.”

“Hi, Tina.”

“Hi.” She looked around nervously.

“I’ll go away if you want. But it looks like maybe you could use someone to talk to.”

Tina raised an eyebrow. “You came here to _talk_? Seems unlikely.”

Blaine blushed again. “Well, I thought maybe … but I wasn’t counting on it. You know, one in the morning on a Tuesday. Wednesday now, I guess. But I couldn’t sleep anyway, so no use going back to my room. And people tell me I’m a good listener.” He paused, but she didn’t respond. “I’ll leave, if you want,” he offered.

“You don’t have to leave,” she said, and that was enough for Blaine to understand that she wanted him to stay. She set her book beside her on the couch, then looked down at her lap and began to pick at a loose thread on her skirt.

Blaine waited quietly, watching her. He’d never seen a dom look so nervous. The anger, yes, he’d seen that many times. The black clothes, the stand-offish appearance, the haughty demeanor. Those were all things that he expected from doms, though certainly not all doms presented themselves that way. But Tina looked so unsure of herself. It seemed to Blaine that she was acting the way she did out of fear, not arrogance.

She looked young, too. Jessalyn had been twenty-one when Blaine started seeing her shortly after his eighteenth birthday. She was already well experienced and had a reputation for being good with newbies. Stella and Ned had been even older than her, by a year or two. Tina looked almost like a child in comparison.

“Are you a freshman?” Blaine asked, breaking the silence.

She looked up, startled, but recovered herself quickly. “Yeah. Still getting used to New York. Not that I’ve gotten to see much of it.” She gestured at the walls.

“Don’t they take you out for trips and stuff? Like to movies and concerts and things? Sightseeing?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t been here long enough to earn any privileges,” Tina said. “I actually got demerits last week.”

Blaine blinked in surprise. “Demerits?”

Tina bit her lip. “We’re not supposed to talk about it with subs. I mean, it’s an open secret how everything works, but I could get more demerits for telling you, and … crap, there I go again.”

Blaine made a mental note to google this, but he changed the subject for her benefit. “So this is the first time you’ve lived in a domhouse?”

Tina nodded. “I just turned eighteen about a month ago. They let me stay with my parents until I moved here. I had no idea I’d be a dom … I already had a dorm assignment in the sub dorms, and I had to change some of my classes around too, because of the domming classes that are required, and … it’s been … difficult to adjust to.”

“You didn’t know?” Blaine asked, surprised. Most people had a very good idea of whether they were a sub or a dom before the official test was done on their eighteenth birthday.

Tina crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, just because I get angry over trivial things, and I sometimes blow up at people when I’m ignored, and I’m kind of sexually aggressive, doesn’t mean I’m necessarily a dom.”

Blaine tried to prevent himself from giggling. He managed to suppress it into a quirk of his lips and a raised eyebrow. “Actually … it kind of does,” he said.

She sighed in resignation, a touch of amusement evident in her eyes. “Okay, maybe I was a bit oblivious. But so was everyone else! My father made them redo the test three times. He was so disappointed. And all my friends were stunned. Except Mike.”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine said softly. Being a disappointment to parents was something he could relate to, even if his own issues were different from this. “Who is Mike?”

“My ex-boyfriend,” Tina said. “We broke up a year ago, when he went to college. I think he kind of had an idea…” She blushed, and then said in a conspiratorial tone, “He let me practice on him. A few weeks ago, after the test …” Her cheeks turned a deeper red and she looked away from Blaine. “But I’ll never have a boyfriend again, or a girlfriend. Not like that. Someday I’ll probably have my own subs, but not for years and years, and … it’s different. My whole life is going to be completely different from what I thought.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blaine said again. “I can’t even imagine.”

“It is what it is,” Tina said with a resigned shrug. But then she sat up straighter. “No, screw that. It fucking sucks. Everything about this fucking sucks. I don’t even care who hears me say it. I may be stuck here, but I don’t have to like it.”

Words like that would usually make Blaine uncomfortable. He disliked it when people were angry around him, even if they were not angry _at_ him. His tendency was to try to smooth things over, make people see the bright side of any situation. But there was something about this diminutive girl casting away her fear and letting her anger show through without having it shift into violence. It felt powerful. Empowering, that was the word he was searching for. She looked empowered when she owned the anger inside her.

Without really thinking about it, Blaine held out his fist to her. She leaned forward and bumped her fist against his. And then she smiled.

She was shockingly pretty when she smiled. Not that she hadn’t been pretty before, but the smile lit up her face in a whole new way. And she kept her power when she did it. That was the part that stunned Blaine. She radiated with the light of it—confident, angry, pleased. For the first time, she truly looked like a dom. Blaine couldn’t stop staring at her.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I think this is the first time I’ve smiled since I moved here. Thanks for that. Thank you for listening.”

Blaine opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t find the words. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to say anything if he could, with the lump that had formed out of nowhere in his throat. She was intimidating in a whole new way now—not off-putting like she’d been at first, but enticing and alluring instead. He looked down instinctively, dropping his whole head down.

There was a pause before her hands appeared in his field of vision. They hovered over his thighs for a moment before finally coming to rest just above his knees. The contact was like a rush of relief through him, releasing tension he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding in his muscles.

The hesitance in her voice was just barely noticeable. “Good boy,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

Blaine moaned with pleasure.

“Should we … do you want to get a room?” she asked quietly.

Blaine looked up at her, surprised. “I thought you didn’t want to.”

Tina smiled softly. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind.” But then she seemed to hesitate, and the smile faded away. “I don’t know … I’m not sure. Maybe we could just try a little bit and see? Would it be okay with you if we start and then we don’t actually … if we just make out or something and it doesn’t go any farther?”

Blaine couldn’t help glancing at her lips. They were shiny with some kind of lip gloss, and his mouth began to water as he wondered whether it was flavored. Whether he would taste it when they kissed. Whether she would tease him with soft, gentle kisses or slam him against a wall and force her tongue into his mouth. He felt his pulse speeding up. All of those options sounded very enticing. “I am happy with whatever you want me for,” he said.

Tina stood up and held out her hand. “Come with me, then.”

Blaine took her hand and let her pull him to his feet.

\-------------------------------------------

Tina swiped her ID card through the electronic lock of the interaction room door. She wondered if she was insane, taking this guy she’d only just met to bed with her. She had told herself over and over again that she’d never do it. That she’d rebel against the system, refuse to cooperate, do things her own way no matter how much they pressured her to conform. But here she was, only her second week living in the domhouse, and already hooking up with a stranger.

She glanced back at him, and he slid his ID through the lock. It clicked, and she pulled the heavy door open, gesturing for him to enter. He wasn’t just any stranger, though. Blaine wasn’t like most of the guys she’d seen walk into the common room during her required ten hours a week of sitting in there. They came in with hungry eyes, leering at the doms, uninterested in conversation. Blaine seemed to see her as a real person, not just a sex object. When she talked with him, she felt almost like she was back in high school, able to make friends and have interests other than school and sex.

He was also really adorable. Sleepy eyes and floppy curls, wearing a plain white t-shirt that was just rumpled enough for her to imagine that he’d slept in it. Jeans that, she noticed for the first time as she followed him into the room, hugged a truly exceptional ass. She wondered if it looked that nice when he was naked, or whether the jeans added something. Images flashed through her head of what she might do to that ass, how she might grab it and tease and play.

She blinked, stunned that her mind had gone there in the midst of the nervousness about being here in this room with him at all. They were just going to make out, she reminded herself. Nothing else needed to happen. She was in control of this. She got to make all the decisions.

“I am in charge here,” she said out loud, mainly to convince herself.

“Yes, ma’am,” Blaine answered.

Tina decided to let him think she’d been talking to him. “Is there any special safeword you like to use?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Red and yellow are fine.”

“Okay, red for stop and yellow for slow down.” Tina felt like she was reciting the script from her first domming class. Nothing wrong with that, she figured. They’d been taught these things for a reason. “Do you have any hard limits I should know about?”

“No, ma’am,” Blaine said. “At least, nothing that I’d expect to get anywhere near tonight.”

She nodded. She certainly had no plans to push things. She didn’t even plan to have sex. Maybe they’d just talk or cuddle. Maybe they’d kiss a little bit. Maybe she’d hold him down to the bed and bite at his shoulders and neck. Her breath caught at that thought. Where were these ideas coming from? He did have really nice shoulders, though. They were so broad, especially in comparison to his tiny waist. He must have a lovely, tapered torso. And she’d definitely noticed the veins running through the muscles on his forearms. His biceps must be a sight to see.

“Take your shirt off,” Tina ordered, surprising both of them.

“But I thought we weren’t going to—” Blaine started to say.

Tina crossed her arms over her chest, feeling defensive and needing to prove herself. “If you want to use a safeword, use it,” she said angrily.

Blaine pulled the collar of his shirt over his head and took it off.

He looked even better without it than Tina had expected. She stared for a long moment, taking it in. Blaine didn’t have washboard abs like Mike did, but his little bit of tummy was pretty cute anyway. His shoulders and arms were incredible, with strong muscles that were surprising given his small size. The thought crossed Tina’s mind that he could easily pin her down, hold her still and do whatever he wanted with her. But that wasn’t going to happen. The opposite was.

_Where are these thoughts coming from?_ Tina shouted in her mind. She tried to keep her expression calm, but she stepped toward him, coming within reaching distance. She set her hands lightly on his shoulders and ran them across the broad space, around the curve of his shoulders, and down his arms. “Very nice,” she said appraisingly.

He didn’t meet her eyes. He stared somewhere around her chin, like a good sub, letting himself be touched and looked at and evaluated. She felt an unexpected tingling between her legs. This man who barely knew her, letting her do as she pleased with him, even though he knew she was inexperienced and reluctant. It made her feel powerful and capable and … unexpectedly … beautiful. Not to mention, a hell of a lot less reluctant.

\-------------------------------------------

It was odd, Blaine thought, kissing someone shorter than himself. Jessalyn had been the same height as him, and Ned was six feet at least, and Stella … well, she was shorter, but Blaine couldn’t remember ever kissing her while standing up. The few boys he’d dated had all been a bit taller than he was. But Tina was short, several inches shorter than him, and it was an interesting sensation, tilting his head down instead of up when she kissed him.

He kind of liked it. A lot of people talked about wanting a dom who was taller, larger, or stronger than they were, and that impulse was certainly understandable. But this slight little girl was easily managing to be fully dominant despite her stature. Her arms slotted perfectly under Blaine’s, curling up behind his back to grasp his shoulders and pull him in toward her. Her tongue was pressing its way inside his mouth, insistent and powerful, claiming him as an object to be used for her pleasure.

It was rather freeing, Blaine thought. He took a step back under her silent guidance, their mouths still locked together. Submitting to someone who absolutely could not force him physically to do anything made him realize just how much he _wanted_ this. Nothing more than her presence, the way she held herself, the way she touched and looked at him, and he was already falling.

The backs of his legs hit the bed and he fell to a sitting position, his lips finally breaking apart from Tina’s. She stood above him, and at last he could look up at her. She considered him thoughtfully for a moment, then turned around. “Unzip my dress,” she commanded. Blaine did not have to be asked twice.

\-------------------------------------------

Tina slipped out of her dress, still facing away from Blaine. She stepped out of her petticoat and slipped off her shoes. She stood there, eyes squeezed shut, wearing her black bra and underwear and thigh-high stockings, her feet starting to get cold from the floor through the thin fabric. She wondered whether this was a terrible idea. She could still back out, she reminded herself. It didn’t need to go any farther than this. She could keep these clothes on and just play or cuddle like this, or even put her dress back on and walk out of the room right now if she really wanted to. It was fine, she told herself. Everything was fine.

She opened her eyes and turned around, and that nervousness vanished when she saw Blaine. He was seated at the edge of the bed, looking down at his feet, rocking slightly back and forth. “Are you okay?” Tina asked, concerned.

“Yes,” he gasped in answer. “May I look at you? Please, can I see you? You’re so beautiful, I want to see…”

That was not the reaction she’d expected, but she would definitely take it. “Yes, baby boy, of course you can look.”

He lifted his head up and took in the sight of her body bit by bit, moving his gaze up her legs to her hips and waist, then her breasts and finally to her face again. Tina fought the urge to cover herself with her hands or to move her body to what might be a more flattering angle. There was really no need to, not with the outright adoration in Blaine’s eyes. Better to fake the confidence, she thought, and let that overwhelm him.

It seemed to be working. His breathing was shallow and his jaw dropped slightly open. It practically looked like he was panting. Tina smirked. He reminded her of an eager puppy dog just being trained.

She sat facing him in his lap, straddling his legs, and pushed a strand of curly hair behind his ear. “Good puppy,” she said softly, stroking his hair.

Blaine made a soft whining noise in his throat. She ducked her head down and kissed the side of his neck, and he whimpered in response.

“What do you want, little puppy dog?” she asked, teasing.

“I don’t care, anything,” he said. He sounded desperate.

She traced his jawline with one finger, pondering what she might want. “Hmm… puppy dogs like to lick, don’t they?”

His eyes rolled back in his head, and she knew she’d made a good choice.

\-------------------------------------------

Blaine watched Tina sit down on the bed beside him, one foot tucked under her and the other still on the floor. She sat there awkwardly for slightly too long without doing anything, and the momentum they’d had was gone. Blaine waited patiently, but he felt his arousal receding in the quiet. Finally, Tina pointed to her left earlobe. “Here,” she said.

Blaine wasn’t quite sure what she wanted, but he leaned in and kissed her earlobe gently.

“Tongue,” she ordered.

He licked the same spot.

She traced her finger around the rim of her ear, and Blaine followed it with his tongue, licking in a smooth motion.

“Good boy,” she praised him. “Here.” She touched the dip of her neck just below the end of her jawline. He ducked his head down and kissed there, his tongue peeking out from between his lips for a little lick.

“Here,” she said again, touching on her jaw now. Blaine felt that he was being led around like a pet on a leash. It was kind of cute, but not doing much for him yet. He kissed where she indicated, and then she pointed at the corner of her mouth. “Here.”

That was a little more exciting. He kissed gently, trying not to do more than she would be completely comfortable with. The lip gloss tasted fruity, a synthetic flavor that was difficult to place. He’d been too overwhelmed with other sensations to notice it when she’d kissed him before, but he could concentrate and savor it now. He pulled away barely an inch, and she reached her finger up again, tracing it across the entire length of her bottom lip. “Here,” she whispered.

Blaine let his tongue peek out from between his lips and licked slowly across her lip. Watermelon, he’d guess, if he had to name the flavor. But now they were in each other’s space, breathing each other’s air. The silliness had vanished, and the tension between them crackled like electricity.

Without warning, Tina grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him hard, her tongue roughly forcing his lips open and then surging past them. Blaine moaned into her mouth. He had no idea if she knew what she was doing, but whatever it was, it was definitely okay with him.

\-------------------------------------------

_Oh god, I seriously need to get off,_ Tina thought to herself, shoving Blaine gracelessly down onto the bed. She clambered on top of him, losing his mouth and then catching it again in another rough kiss. It wasn’t fair for Blaine to be so happily obedient, even if the orders she’d been giving him were not particularly interesting or unusual. The way he just _did_ whatever she said, without question … she supposed she would get used to it, but right now it was something new and exciting for her.

The way he was lying there on the bed, the submissive little bastard, letting her kiss him and run her hands all over his body … it shouldn’t be allowed, it was too seductive. How dare he _not do anything_ like that and make her all hot for him.

And god, was he ever gorgeous. Pressed down against his body, she felt his cock growing firm through his pants. His hips stuttered up at some touch of hers, she wasn’t even sure what, and the hard mass of his cock thrust against her thigh. “Fuck,” she said out loud.

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Blaine said quickly. “Should I be still? I can do that.”

“God, no,” Tina said. She rolled over, pulling Blaine on top of her. “Touch me,” she ordered.

“Where?” he asked.

She brought his hand to the waistband of her panties. “Here.”

\-------------------------------------------

Blaine removed the panties at Tina’s command just a few minutes later. She giggled nervously, breaking the moment a little bit.

“Can I touch you?” he asked. He knew he was guiding rather than asking permission, but he tried to say it in the most submissive tone he could muster.

“That’s kind of the point,” Tina said, still sounding nervous.

Blaine ran his fingers through her pubic hair, curling his fingers to let his manicured nails stratch lightly against her skin. Tina arched her back and moaned. “Good start,” she said. She seemed a lot less nervous now, coming back to some confidence.

“What do you want?” Blaine asked her.

She thought about it for a moment. “Why don’t you just show me what you can do? Get me off. However you want, but keep your pants on. And then we’ll see about your reward.”

Blaine was slightly disappointed with her lack of direction, but he tried not to show it. He certainly knew how to get a girl off. He’d had plenty of practice. And he was happy to do this for her, if it was what she wanted. Maybe he could coax her into being more specific later.

He moved his fingers lower, watching her face for reactions. He traced a path along her labia and then carefully slid two fingers to the center. She shivered with pleasure, her eyes closed.

“Blaine?” she said.

“Hmm?”

“Use your mouth.”

Blaine smiled to himself and obeyed.

\-------------------------------------------

Tina lost it when he started to lick her. She was writhing on the bed, head thrashing back and forth, hips lifting off the ground whenever he hit a particularly sensitive spot. She was not quite aware of the noises she was making, but she was sure they were loud and probably included many swear words. He was fucking incredible, and god, she needed this right now as much as she needed to breathe.

She felt two fingers press against the opening of her vagina, and she gasped, but then he hesitated.

“May I?” Blaine asked. “Please?”

“God, yes,” Tina groaned.

He pressed inside her, tongue working on her clit again at the same time, and she screamed with pleasure and very nearly kicked him in the head by accident.

\-------------------------------------------

Blaine had expected Tina to relax and take some time after she came, but she didn’t. Instead she sat up sharply, her long hair tangled in places and flying out to the side in others, and immediately thrust him down onto the bed by his shoulders. She unfastened his pants and yanked them off together with his underwear, his achingly hard cock bouncing as it was freed. She opened a drawer beside the bed and grabbed a condom at random from the dizzying array of choices provided, tore the package open, and slid it onto his cock so quickly he was almost afraid that it was going to break.

“I’m planning to come a second time,” she informed him bluntly. “If you come before I tell you to, I swear you will regret it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Blaine was stunned at how fierce she was once she got going. She would be a force to be reckoned with once she fully grew into her role as a dom.

She straddled him, fucking herself up and down hard on his cock, arching her back and pressing her hands down onto his thighs behind her. She was still wearing the bra and thigh-high stockings she hadn’t even bothered to remove, and of course the red collar around her neck. Her eyes were sort of glazed over, and Blaine wasn’t even sure she remembered that he was there. Aside from his cock, anyway. He was used to his doms paying close attention to his reactions, but this way was really hot, too. Letting his dom use him as a tool for getting off, as if his feelings didn’t matter at all … there was something about it that was incredibly arousing to Blaine. Between that and the visual of Tina in that black bra and stockings and nothing else, he didn’t think he could hold back much longer.

“I’m so close,” he gasped when he couldn’t take anymore. “Please, can I come soon?”

“Not yet,” Tina snapped. She sounded mildly annoyed. “I’m not done yet.” She bounced harder on his cock.

“Oh god.” Blaine squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m not sure I can…”

“You’d damn well better. You do _not_ want to see me get angry.”

“Okay,” he said through clenched teeth. “Oh god, oh god.”

“You’re that close, hmm?” she teased, her tone changing. She seemed aware of him as a person again, if she was willing to tease him.

He nodded, his eyes still closed. “It’s so good, oh my _god_. You’re so fucking hot.”

“You think so?” she asked. “Look at me, then. Why aren’t you looking at me, if you think I’m so hot?”

“You’re _too_ hot like this,” he answered. “If I see you, I won’t be able to hold back…”

She groaned loudly. “Look at me, then, and come. I want to feel you come inside me.”

Blaine opened his eyes and found her leaning forward now, propping herself up over him with her hands on either side of his head, providing an excellent view of her cleavage in that bra.

“Fuck,” he said loudly. She sank her body down on his cock as deeply as possible, and he came then, his hips stuttering off the bed and burying himself in her. She groaned and shuddered around him with her own orgasm.

After they finally stilled, Tina lifted herself up off of him and dropped down to the bed beside him with a sigh. She landed on top of his right arm, so he curled it upward to rest across her back, his hand on her waist.

“Wow,” she said.

Blaine hummed a vague agreement, still halfway lost in the afterglow. He hadn’t gone into subspace like an experienced dom could make him, but he certainly felt well fucked and kind of glowy all over. He wished that Tina would cuddle him or kiss him a little bit. It wasn’t that she was being uncuddly, lying there right next to him, but she seemed a bit lost in her own world and very thoughtful. He wanted a little attention.

“That was … interesting,” she said.

He groaned and lolled his head back on the pillow.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Am I supposed to do something? I am, aren’t I. Like … um … cuddling? Is this not enough cuddling? Should I, like, touch you in some way, or …”

“Don’t worry about it,” Blaine said. “Could you just … um … I need my arm back so I can take off the condom?”

“Oh, right, of course. Sorry.” She lifted herself up to let him slide his arm out from beneath her.

She looked the other way as he took off the condom, tossed it into the wastebasket beside the bed, and cleaned himself up with some tissues. “God, this is awkward,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think through this part.”

“It’s okay,” Blaine said.

“I didn’t think through any of it, really. I hope it wasn’t … um … I hope you were … satisfied? Oh god.” Tina covered her eyes with one hand.

Blaine’s heart melted, seeing her embarrassment and uncertainty return. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said, reaching out to put his arm around her shoulders. “Everything was great, really. Please don’t worry, it was really wonderful.”

Tina let her hand drop and looked up at him, her eyes clouded with confusion. “I didn’t think that would happen. I didn’t think I’d want to.”

“But you did want to?” Blaine asked, praying that the answer would be yes.

“Yeah …” she said hesitantly. “I actually really did.”

He smiled at her, and she smiled right back.

“C’mon,” he said, lying back down on the bed. She cuddled in beside him, their arms around each other.

“You seem like a really nice guy,” Tina said.

“I try to be.”

“I didn’t think that guys who came in looking for one-night stands would be like this.”

“I don’t know … maybe some of them are. I never do one-night stands. Not ever. Honestly, I know it sounds like a line, but I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve always come in with a recommendation and an appointment.”

Tina wrinkled her forehead. “Why did you come in here tonight, then?”

Blaine shrugged. “I just moved to New York, put off asking around for recommendations … I waited too long and I couldn’t sleep … I don’t know.” He didn’t want to mention Kurt, for some reason. It felt too personal. Anyway, everything he had said was true, even if it omitted an important detail.

“Oh,” Tina said. They were silent for a minute. “Well, I’m glad you showed up. It was … a good experience. Better than it could have been. And I’m glad I won’t have demerits this week, at least not by default.”

That was confusing to Blaine. “What? The demerits … I don’t get it.”

“For not having sex. Once a week is the minimum, otherwise there are demerits and you can’t start building up good behavior points for privileges and stuff. You didn’t know that?”

Blaine blinked at her. He was appalled by this information. “I … I had no idea. You mean they force you to have sex? That’s …”

“Well, they don’t force us,” Tina said. “It’s always our choice, and if we say no, nobody is going to come in and make us do it or punish us or anything. But yeah, once a week is considered the minimum for controlling hormones and aggression, so they won’t let you do anything besides work or go to class if you don’t sleep with at least one person a week.”

“That’s horrible! What if there’s nobody you want to be with?”

Tina shrugged. “Then you’re out of luck. I was staging my own personal rebellion against the system until you came along and messed it all up.” She giggled nervously, half-joking. “Anyway, most doms go way over. A lot of them have someone every day. And it’s a lot easier once you have regulars … it’s not strangers all the time, usually. Most doms don’t have any problem with it.”

“But some do,” Blaine said.

“Yeah…” Tina let her voice trail off. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about it this week.”

He’d been seriously considering it already, but that information tipped him over the edge into a decision. “Can I come back next week?” Blaine asked.

Tina looked surprised, and then mildly offended. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’m sure you’d prefer someone more experienced. You don’t need to waste your time with me. I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can,” Blaine said. “But I want to. I like you. This was … like I said, it was really good. And I like having a relationship with a dom. Not just here and there, you know? If things go well … maybe I could come back every week. I’d like to.”

“Would you really …?”

“Yes,” Blaine said quickly, decisively. “Yes I would.”

He felt her body relax against his. She stroked his hair gently. “You’re an angel, Blaine. You don’t even know how much this means to me.”

“I just want to be good for you. I want to help you.”

“Good boy, my little Blaine. Thank you.”

He kissed her softly on the cheek. “Thank _you_.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kurt spied Tina and Rachel sitting at a table in the NYADA cafeteria. He’d brought his own lunch from home, so he walked straight over to join them. “Tina!” he said excitedly. “I’m so glad they’re letting you eat lunch out here now! I missed you!” He sat down gingerly on the bench, wincing a little bit. Jonathan had done a number on him that morning, and he was definitely feeling the aftereffects. Thank goodness his vocal workshop instructor required them all to stand for the whole class, because he could never have gotten through two hours of sitting in a hard wooden chair right after.

Tina rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s such a pleasure to be given _permission_ to do something that you and Rachel get to do every day without question. I am the luckiest girl alive, let me tell you.”

“Oh come on, Tina, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just happy for you, that’s all.”

Tina took a bite of her sandwich and chewed angrily, glaring at him. Kurt lifted his hands up in a gesture of surrender, then opened his insulated lunchbag and took out the container of couscous chicken salad.

“How was your vocal workshop, Kurt?” Rachel asked. “Is this professor any better than last year’s?”

Kurt sighed. “Nobody knows what to do with a countertenor, even here. They all want to work on developing my chest voice. And that’s all well and good, but it’s not what sets me apart. I think I might seek out a countertenor specialist for private lessons.”

“How come nobody asks _me_ how _my_ classes are going?” Tina asked. “All I ever get is, ‘How is the domhouse, Tina? Are you following the rules, Tina? Have they let you out from your prison cell yet, Tina? Better shape up, or you’ll never get to do anything fun!’ Doesn’t anyone care whether I like my acting class, or my dance teacher, or whether I’ve made any friends?”

“Of course we care,” Rachel said quickly. “And it’s not a prison. It’s a controlled living environment, for everyone’s safety and comfort.”

Tina snorted.

“We just want you to be happy,” Kurt said. “The quicker you adjust, the happier you’ll be, so that’s why we ask about it.”

“It’s like I’m not even a person anymore. Do you not even _remember_ the kinds of things we used to talk about in high school? I still have all those same interests. I’m still _me_. Kurt, you don’t want to ask about my clothes or take me shopping? Rachel, nothing to say about Broadway shows you’ve seen or auditions you want to go to? Any time either of you talks to me about anything, it’s all about the stupid rules and expectations and _crap_ , and I’m sick of it!” Tina stood up sharply and picked up her tray, then stomped off to the tray return and exit.

“Tina, wait,” Kurt called after her.

“I’ll go,” Rachel said. “I’m done eating anyway.” She hoisted her schoolbag over one shoulder and grabbed her trash before running off after Tina.

Kurt sighed. Tina really needed to learn to control these outbursts of irrational anger. The sooner she got over her fear of domming, the better. Her hormones were seriously out of control, and her antisocial attitude was in danger of pulling her into a vicious cycle. He hoped Rachel was able to talk some sense into her, but he doubted it.

“Is this seat taken?” a familiar voice asked.

Kurt looked up, a goofy smile on his face. “Blaine! Hi! Sure, have a seat. I sat down with some friends of mine, but they were almost done eating and I just started, so … yes, please join me!” He knew he was being overeager and ridiculous, but he couldn’t help himself. Blaine made him feel happy all over, and his usual haughty attitude simply vanished.

“It’s great to see you again,” Blaine said, looking directly into Kurt’s eyes.

It must be impossible not to melt when someone looks at you like that, Kurt thought. His hands reached out automatically and held Blaine’s across the table. “It really is. Great. To see you.” _Fuck_ , what was wrong with him? Jonathan was supposed to have taken care of this feeling, and by all rights what he’d given Kurt this morning should have been enough. How was this still happening?

“I really really want to kiss you right now,” Blaine said. “Oh shit, was that out loud?”

Kurt laughed. “I am not exactly sure which of my thoughts I said out loud just now, either.”

“I know this is very forward of me, and feel free to say no … but could we maybe take our lunch upstairs to my room?”

“I …” Kurt looked down at his barely-touched meal. “Yeah, okay.”

\------------------------------------------------

Blaine unlocked the door to his room and stepped inside, holding the door and silently welcoming Kurt in. He walked the door shut and closed it with a soft click, then turned around to face Kurt again.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Blaine was halfway in shock at being alone with Kurt in his dorm room in the middle of the day, but mostly he was just lost in Kurt’s crystal blue eyes. He’d never seen anything more beautiful in the world, and now Kurt was stepping forward and slipping his arms around Blaine’s waist, and their mouths met in a soft kiss before Blaine could even think about what was happening.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, one hand resting on his waist and the other on the back of his neck, holding himself steady as he tilted his head up into another kiss. It was slow, neither of them in any hurry, but Blaine felt his pulse racing many times faster than any movement of his body. There was nothing he wanted more than _this, here, now_. He deepened the kiss, pressing his lips harder against Kurt’s, and he felt Kurt’s arms pulling him tighter, closer in.

They breathed in unison, chests straining against each other, shoulders rising together. Kurt’s breath tickled against Blaine’s cheek on the exhale, and it felt like a caress. Their lips parted naturally and Blaine turned the slightest bit to bury his face in the crook of Kurt’s neck. They swayed slightly, almost like slow dancing, but there was no music.

“Blaine…” Kurt whispered. His voice sounded so seductive around the name that it made Blaine tremble.

“I’m not like this,” Blaine said softly into his neck.

Kurt pulled back to put some space between them, but kept his arms tight around Blaine’s waist. “Not like what?”

Blaine smiled halfheartedly at him. “Not the kind of guy who invites people he just met yesterday back to his room to make out in the middle of the day?”

Kurt lifted a hand to brush across Blaine’s cheek. “I am so glad you’re making an exception for me.”

“Well, you’re kind of … exceptional.”

Kurt rested his hand lightly on Blaine’s chest, but his certainty visibly faltered. He blinked and his eyes weren’t shining quite the way they had before. “So are you. I’m not used to … I don’t usually … feel this way about … well, anyone. It’s … different.”

“I like it. I like _you_. I hope you know this isn’t just about … sex and stuff.” Blaine felt his cheeks heat up, which was ridiculous because he had plenty of experience having sex and also talking about it. He didn’t understand why he’d suddenly feel shy about this subject around Kurt. “I really like you. I mean, I hardly know you, but from the time we spent together last night, I want to know you better and … and … I think you’re amazing and fun to be around and also really really hot.” Blaine looked down at his feet.

Kurt laughed happily, and Blaine looked up again, bashful. “You’re adorable and I adore you,” Kurt said.

They were staring at each other again, looking straight into each other’s eyes in the most intense way. It should have been uncomfortable, but Blaine’s awkwardness disappeared as he watched this sweet, beautiful boy. All he saw was Kurt, gorgeous, perfect, lovely Kurt, and he leaned in for another kiss.

Everything felt so unhurried. They took their time, lingering in every sensation, memorizing every detail. Blaine was happy just to kiss him, over and over again as they stood near the door of the room. There was no move toward the bed, no pulling at clothing, no unfastening of buttons or hands sliding beneath clothes. There was just kiss after soft, sweet kiss, fingers running through each other’s hair, hands smoothing the backs and arms of each other’s shirts.

It was heavenly, Blaine thought, sighing into Kurt’s ear as Kurt nibbled his jawline. It just felt so _comfortable_ to be here in Kurt’s arms. He was turned on by it, of course he was, but his desire for more was tempered by the pure bliss of what they were already doing. His lust, if he could even call it that, was manageable, not urgent. What he desperately wanted was for this closeness to never end. They could be naked or not, making love or just kissing, or even just holding hands, and it would be fine with Blaine as long as they were together.

The thought of holding hands was irresistible, so Blaine brought his hand to where Kurt’s was resting on his hip, and moved it away from his body, interlacing their fingers. Kurt responded with a happy little hum and a nuzzle with his nose on Blaine’s face. “I have class soon,” Kurt said apologetically.

Blaine groaned. “When?”

“At one.”

“Me too. But we came upstairs just after twelve. That’s got to be …” Blaine glanced over his shoulder at the clock. “Oh god, five minutes from now. How did that happen?”

“Good question,” Kurt said.

Blaine sighed and stepped back. He kept his hold on Kurt’s hand because he couldn’t bear to break the contact all at once. “When are you out for the day? Can we get together after?”

“I have two classes in a row. I’ll be done at four. Meet you at the coffee place?”

Blaine tried not to pout. He didn’t know how he was going to survive three whole hours without seeing Kurt, but he realized that saying it out loud would make him seem ridiculous. So he put on a smile and thought about how nice it would be to see Kurt again that afternoon. “I’ll be there.”

Kurt picked up his bag, checked his hair in the mirror, and shot a smile at Blaine before opening the door.

“Oh, wait!” Blaine called out. “I made us miss lunch.” He rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled out two protein bars, then opened his mini-fridge and grabbed two juice boxes. He handed one of each to Kurt.

Kurt’s smile reached his whole face, the corners of his eyes crinkling adorably. “Thank you so much.”

Blaine’s voice caught in his throat. “You’re welcome,” he managed to answer. They left the room together, the backs of their hands brushing lightly as they made their way down the hall to the elevator.

\------------------------------------------------

Kurt’s eyes found Blaine immediately, the moment he walked into the coffee shop. He paused at the door, watching with him with a hint of a smile on his face. Blaine was on the same couch they’d cuddled on last night, but he was sitting cross-legged with his laptop balanced across his knees. He was typing furiously, his brow furrowed in concentration, a paper coffee cup on the table beside him. His hair was still as plastered down as always, and his blue canvas bag was tucked neatly between the couch and the table. Kurt didn’t understand how this simple sight could fill him with peace and joy, but it did. He walked up to Blaine and said hello.

Blaine startled out of his concentration and slammed the laptop shut. “Hi!” he said brightly. “Do you want to sit down? Or, um, get some coffee first? Mine’s probably cold by now, I’ll go with you and get a refill.”

Kurt suppressed a giggle at Blaine’s eagerness, because he honestly felt the same way himself. He wondered if Blaine had closed the laptop so quickly because he was writing something about Kurt, or something else he didn’t want Kurt to see, or whether it was just excitement at seeing him there. They walked up to the counter together to order their coffee, and somehow their hands found each other and caught hold.

The new coffee got cold, too, as they talked, hands together between them on the couch. People came and went from the shop, someone sat in the chair across from them for half an hour and then left, customers left trash and employees came by to pick it up and wipe down the tables, but Kurt and Blaine noticed none of the activity around them. They had lifetimes to tell each other, and it seemed of the utmost urgency to share all the stories right away.

It was after seven when Blaine suggested dinner and Kurt noticed with a shock that his stomach was rumbling. Neither of them had eaten a proper lunch, either, so they went to the burger place next door because that was close and required no thinking that would disrupt the conversation. Blaine was talking about his family.

“My half-brother is ten years older than me. His name’s Cooper. We have the same dad, and his mom is the dom in our family. Her name is Michelle. My mom is the other sub. She wanted to have a baby so badly, but Michelle only ever wanted one. It took years and years for my mom to convince her to give permission, and then she had me. I think Michelle always resented me a little bit. She didn’t show it, not really … but it felt like Cooper always got more support for his stuff than I did. You know? But it’s hard to tell. He’s so much older, and I realize now as an adult that of course from my perspective it felt like he was getting to do more things. Maybe I got to do the same when I was as old as him … it’s hard to tell. But it affected me, growing up, that I thought about it that way.”

Kurt nodded. “My half-brother, Finn, is the same age as me. Almost exactly. My dad is the dom, and Carole and my mom got to go through their pregnancies together.”

Blaine smiled. “Aww, that’s sweet. That must have made them really close.”

“It did. But my dad jokes that it was a hormonal nightmare.”

“I’ll bet!” Blaine took a sip of his diet coke. “Are they still close like that?”

“My mom died when I was eight,” Kurt told him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Blaine looked like he might cry, and Kurt wondered how that fact could affect him so much.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago. But it meant that I grew up kind of … like, Finn had both his parents and I only had one. Carole is like another mom to me, I know she loves me. But it wasn’t the same.”

They were already holding hands across the table, but Blaine reached out and put his other hand on top of Kurt’s, too. Kurt hadn’t felt like he needed reassurance, but once Blaine offered it silently like that, more emotions and more words came pouring out of him.

“We’re all really close. It’s a very stable family, even without her. Everyone always pressured Dad and Carole to take another sub into the family, but they never wanted to. Never felt like they needed it, or that anyone could replace my mom.”

“That’s … oddly romantic, as a story,” Blaine said. “But I bet it doesn’t feel romantic to live it.”

Kurt felt his mouth twisting into a smile at the corners. “That’s a very good way of putting it.”

“Where’s your brother now?” Blaine asked.

“He’s a dom. Moved into a domhouse in Lima after we graduated, and he’s working with my dad at the auto repair shop he owns. He seems to be doing well.”

“Oh, that’s great! Nice stable situation for a young dom, keeping his family so close.”

“Yeah, I think it will be good for him,” Kurt said. “He needs to learn to control his temper, but he’s a good guy at heart. Like our dad is.”

Blaine sighed dreamily. “I hope I have a family like that someday. Another sub who I’m madly in love with, and a strong dom who we both respect and who has our best interests at heart.”

Kurt stiffened and pulled his hand away, uncomfortable with this line of conversation about the future. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not now, not yet. Not when things were still going so well between them. He wanted to savor the happiness for a while longer, just a little while, before he even considered saying things that could tear the whole thing apart. Blaine cocked his head to one side curiously at Kurt’s reaction, but the waitress showed up with their burgers and the moment was thankfully broken. Kurt grabbed his burger and took a giant bite out of it, and Blaine picked up the ketchup bottle.

“So, tell me more about how you think Katy Perry is better than the Beatles,” Kurt said when he finished chewing. Blaine laughed, and any remaining awkwardness vanished in the delightfulness of it.

\------------------------------------------------

“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked in an extremely annoyed voice two hours later.

Blaine smiled up at her with his most charming smile. “We’ve been here quite a while haven’t we? I guess it’s about time to get going, but thank you.” He pulled out his wallet and then shook his head at Kurt when he got out his too. “It’s on me,” he said, handing the waitress a credit card.

Kurt smiled. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

They started off walking hand in hand back to NYADA, but before they’d gone a block, their hands had mysteriously migrated to each other’s waists. It was so nice to be close like this, Blaine thought. Just completely pleasant and calm and perfect. He didn’t want it to end. “Do you want to come in?” he invited when they reached the door of the building.

Kurt hesitated only for a second. “Yes. I really do.”

They were on each other the moment the door to Blaine’s room clicked shut, but it wasn’t frantic. It was like an irresistible force of nature, the two of them finding each other after so many hours of making themselves keep a respectable distance while in public. Their bodies pressed together, arms around each other, mouths meeting in the relief of a warm, long kiss.

“You’re too far away,” Blaine complained jokingly.

“I don’t think it’s physically possible to get any closer,” Kurt said.

“Your shirt,” Blaine said. “Can I take it off?”

“Oh,” Kurt said. “Yes. As long as you promise to take yours off, too.”

Blaine pretended to be considering this, stroking his hand on his chin thoughtfully. “That seems fair,” he finally said, grinning.

“You’re such a dork.”

“Tell me you’re not just now realizing that.”

In answer, Kurt kissed him again.

The bright contrast buttons stood out against Kurt’s white shirt. Blaine unfastened the top one carefully, using both hands and then moving the fabric gently apart to reveal Kurt’s milky white skin beneath. He ducked his head down and pressed a kiss there, just below the place where his collarbones met. “Beautiful,” he whispered in an exhale before moving on and doing the same thing with the next button. He worked his way down, one button at a time, ever so gently, a kiss for each new sliver of skin revealed. He ended up on his knees for the last two, since it was too low to keep bending down.

With Kurt’s shirt hanging completely open, Blaine looked up at him from where he was kneeling. He’d knelt for his doms before, many times. But this didn’t feel like that. It was not at all submissive. He wasn’t begging or presenting himself or awaiting a command. He was simply there, watching Kurt from this angle, appreciating the new perspective on his beautiful form. Finished with his task, he rose to his feet. “Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi,” Kurt answered, sounding a little bit shy.

“Should I take this all the way off?” Blaine asked, fingering the open fabric near Kurt’s collar.

Kurt nodded, so Blaine walked around behind him and slid the shirt off his arms as if he were removing a jacket. It felt expensive, so he brought it to the desk chair and laid it carefully over the back, smoothing it to avoid wrinkles. Kurt smiled at him appreciatively, and Blaine was glad to have taken the extra effort. He pulled off his own polo shirt and left it beside Kurt’s before walking back to him.

“I thought we were getting closer,” Kurt complained. “This is farther apart.” He waved his hand at the several inches of distance between them.

Blaine laughed. “I was hoping we could maybe cuddle on the bed.”

Kurt’s head turned automatically to look at the narrow dorm room bed that was jammed into a corner of the small room. “That seems like an excellent idea.”

\------------------------------------------------

Kurt wasn’t sure how many hours later it was that he found himself drifting on the edge between sleep and wakefulness, cuddled up as the little spoon with Blaine’s hands resting protectively on his chest and stomach. He was pretty sure he didn’t have a single inch of exposed skin that Blaine hadn’t kissed tonight, nor that he’d missed any of Blaine’s. Well, except for their feet. The shoes and socks had come off, but their pants had stayed on without even a hint of a suggestion of removing them, for which Kurt was very grateful. Blaine hadn’t pushed him in the least, hadn’t seemed to want any more physically than Kurt did, and Kurt had not felt this comfortable with a boy he was dating in … well, ever.

They were dating, weren’t they? It had only been two days. Two dates, or maybe three if today’s lunchtime escapades counted as a separate date from the coffee and dinner and evening. Normally that would be too soon to consider it dating as opposed to a couple of dates, but they’d spent so much time together, told each other so many details and private things about themselves…

“Are we dating?” Kurt asked.

“Mmmf?” Blaine said sleepily. “I think so. Aren’t we?”

“Yes, just checking,” Kurt said, happy that he and Blaine were on the same page. For now, at least. Everything was always temporary. Even if he wished it could last forever. Which he did. He definitely did.

He took a deep breath. “I should go home. It’s late.”

“Nooooooo…” Blaine whined, squeezing him tighter.

Kurt laughed. “Haven’t we spent enough time together today?”

“Definitely not,” Blaine said, more awake now. “It was only that one hour at lunch, plus another…” he glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand. “… eight hours after that. Not nearly enough. You’d better stay.”

“Blaine Anderson!” Kurt asked in a mock-scandalized voice. “Are you asking me to spend the night on our second date?”

“Yes,” Blaine answered, unashamed. “Tonight, tomorrow, every day. Just stay.”

“I’d love to, hon, but I don’t have my stuff. Toothbrush, moisturizer … anything to wear tomorrow …”

“I don’t care. You can borrow some of my stuff … well, not my toothbrush, but I swear I won’t tell your dentist if you skip a day. I have mouthwash! You can use that. And my clothes should fit you, don’t you think?”

Kurt burst out laughing. “You want me to stay that badly?”

“I can’t sleep when you’re not here,” Blaine said.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at that, but of course Blaine couldn’t see it since he was behind him. He heard his own voice softer, kinder, when he spoke again. “I didn’t sleep well last night, either. I was … thinking of you.”

Blaine buried his face in Kurt’s hair and kissed the back of his head. “Please stay.”

Kurt felt a pang of something in his heart, and he lost all his will to resist. “Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll stay.”

Blaine moved his hand to where Kurt’s was resting and he interlaced their fingers, Blaine’s palm against the back of Kurt’s hand. Kurt squeezed tightly back.

“This is perfect, Kurt,” Blaine whispered, sounding sleepy again. “Everything’s so perfect.”

“It really, really is,” Kurt answered with a soft sigh. He let himself drift back into the borderland of sleep, warm inside the soft curve of Blaine’s body. He would enjoy this as long as he possibly could.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long delay between updates. Cory Monteith's death threw everyone into chaos, of course. I couldn't bring myself to write for the first week, and for some reason I continued at a slower pace than usual after that.
> 
> Finn has been mentioned briefly in an earlier chapter of this story, and though he's not a big character in the story I'm telling, I think I will continue to mention him when his character is relevant, probably revealing more of his backstory with Rachel that I alluded to earlier on. This story is so completely AU that I don't feel any need to parallel what happens on the show in the future.
> 
> This chapter is not the most exciting one, and I'm sorry about that, but it lays a lot of groundwork for what's about to happen next. Thanks for sticking with me through the wait, and I'll update again as soon as I can.

The gentle pressure of a hand stroking his hair was the first sensation Kurt was aware of. In the haze as he emerged from his dreams, there seemed nothing unusual about the fact that someone was petting his head. It was pleasant, the light massage of fingertips on his scalp, the little pull of fingers moving through the thick strands. He made a soft humming noise, his eyes still closed, and shifted his head slightly, rocking back into the hand’s warmth.

His head wasn’t on a pillow, he noticed with mild confusion. It was something much harder, though not uncomfortable, and it didn’t smell like fabric softener at all. He slid his hand across, testing the surface, and felt some coarse hairs …

His brain put it together all of a sudden. _Blaine_. Kurt smiled, his eyes still closed. “Tell me I’m not dreaming,” he said.

“You’re not dreaming,” came the soft voice in answer.

“You’re not going to disappear if I open my eyes?”

“I certainly hope not!”

“Promise you won’t disappear.”

Blaine’s hand clenched in Kurt’s hair, holding him solidly. “I promise. I won’t disappear.”

“Okay. Here goes …” Kurt opened his eyes to a view of Blaine’s chest beneath him. He tapped his hand against it a couple of times. “Hmm. Seems solid enough.”

“So glad you approve,” Blaine said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Kurt leaned up to look at his face, even though the arch of his back was slightly painful. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Blaine’s hand slid down from Kurt’s hair to cup his cheek. “Neither would I.” He leaned up for a kiss, but Kurt stopped him.

“Nonono, morning breath!” Kurt held a hand over his own mouth. “And no toothbrush and oh my god, what am I going to wear today? What was I thinking? Oh god.”

“Shhh, relax,” Blaine said. He moved Kurt’s hand away and then pulled him back down and kissed him. “None of it matters.”

Kurt wondered whether a smile was permanently affixed to his mouth. He didn’t think he could do a bitch-face right now if he tried. Which could have potentially serious consequences for his reputation around the school, now that he thought about it. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“How long until my first class?” he asked.

“Long enough,” Blaine said, kissing him again.

\-----------------------------------------------

Blaine ran to his dance class. He was not about to be late to Cassandra July’s class _again_. He’d been lucky to avoid her wrath the first time, but twice in a row would be just asking for trouble. He slid into the room, panting, with three minutes to spare. And came face to face with Tina Cohen-Chang in a leotard, her blue-streaked black hair pulled into a tight bun and her red collar snug around her neck.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed at him.

“Um … I’m in this class. What are you doing here?”

“ _I’m_ in this class,” she said. “Where were you on Tuesday?”

“I was here. But I didn’t notice you. I guess because we hadn’t met yet. I didn’t recognize you that night, I swear, I didn’t come looking for you on purpose.”

She looked him up and down, hands on her hips. “It’s the hair,” she said finally. “You look completely different when it’s not gelled down like that. I didn’t recognize you at all.”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine said. He couldn’t think of anything he’d done that would require an apology, but it felt like the right thing to say anyway.

The door closed with a bang. “Partner up!” Cassandra July called out.

Blaine looked around as the students magically melted into boy-girl pairs, leaving him standing awkwardly next to Tina. Cassandra walked over to them, menacing as always. “Well, looky here! Gelmet and Smurf Wannabe. Usually the doms stick together. You gonna be okay letting a sub lift you and spin you and lead the dance? Worried he might drop you?”

“Smurfs have blue _skin_ , not blue _hair_ ,” Tina said petulantly. Blaine stared at the floor, afraid to make eye contact with either of them. “He’s not going to drop me. He’s strong.”

Cassandra smirked at them. “And how would you know? Oh wait … are you two fucking? This your dom, Gelmet?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Blaine answered automatically. He heard titters of nervous laughter from the other students, and he wished he could sink through the floor and disappear.

Cassandra rubbed her hands together. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” She looked around the room. “Weren’t there an even number of doms in this class? There must be another dom-sub couple around her somewhere.”

Cassandra’s eyes settled on the other couple, a muscular brown-haired guy and a stick-thin blonde girl. “Tarzan and Jane will be fine,” she said dismissively. She turned her attention back to Tina and Blaine. “As for you two, please try to have as much of your personal drama in class as possible. I want to watch.”

She spun around and took a few steps toward the center of the room, then banged her rod on the floor. “Okay, we’ll start with the warm-up sequence I taught you yesterday. Anyone who has forgotten any of the steps will deeply, deeply regret it.”

“I am _so sorry_ ,” Blaine whispered to Tina.

“It’s not your fault,” she told him firmly. “It will be fine. You trust me, right?”

“Of course,” he said.

She smiled shyly. “I trust you, too. Now lift me up before we get yelled at.”

Blaine put his hands on her waist and lifted. She was light and graceful, positioning her arms and legs just so. He set her down again with the beat of the recorded music playing in the background.

“See?” she whispered. “We’re fine.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, grinning.

Cassandra kept her eye on them through the entire class session, but Blaine and Tina both made sure she had not the slightest thing to criticize.

Tina reached up and patted Blaine on the head after the class was dismissed. “You did a great job. Thank you. I think we work well together, in a lot of different ways.”

Blaine blushed at the compliment. “Thank you,” he murmured. A few other students walked past them, snickering, but Blaine ignored it and Tina shot them an evil glare that shut them up immediately.

It was unusual to see an unclaimed dom and sub acting like this in public, but Blaine didn’t care what anyone thought. It made him feel nice. And he liked Tina, rather a lot. He wanted to be her friend, not just one of her subs. He made eye contact with her, looking braver than he felt. “I was hoping … would you maybe let me accompany you to lunch?”

“Oh, Blaine, that’s so sweet! I would love to, but unfortunately I have a domming class scheduled over lunch today. Maybe some other time?”

She said it so gently that he hardly felt the sting of rejection. “Okay,” he said, looking down again.

“Hey, another time, I mean it.” She pressed two fingers to his chin and tilted it back up to level. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Tuesday night if not before.”

Blaine nodded. “Okay. Soon. Have a great weekend.” He watched her walk into the women’s locker room before he made any move toward the men’s.

The red-headed boy he’d met during Tuesday’s class (Paul? Pete?) high-fived him as he walked to his locker. Blaine must have looked as puzzled as he felt, because Paul-or-Pete explained himself. “She must be a really good fuck, if you let her treat you like that outside the domhouse!”

Blaine stiffened. “It’s none of your business.”

Another guy walked up to join their conversation. “Come on, man. I’ve heard Asian chicks are amazing in bed. Is it true? I might have to try that one out for myself.”

“She’s a _person_. She’s not your toy,” Blaine said angrily.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Possessive much? I didn’t see cuffs on her wrists, so you don’t get a say in who else she fucks.”

“Just … leave her alone.” Blaine grabbed his stuff out of his locker and left the room. Showering upstairs in the dorm would be better than hanging around here, he decided.

He stepped into the shower before it finished heating up. The tepid water washed the sweat of dance class off his tired body, and he tilted his head way back to let the water pour over his face, too. The water grew warmer and he let it relax his muscles bit by bit. He couldn’t stop thinking about what those guys had said in the locker room. He shouldn’t have let it bother him, he knew. It was just ordinary locker room bravado. But something about the other boys’ comments had bothered him deeply.

It wasn’t that he felt possessive of Tina, as they had accused him of. He certainly wasn’t under any delusion that they were in a claim. He wouldn’t feel jealous if she slept with another guy, or a girl. There was no reason he should, just like she wouldn’t be jealous of his relationship with Kurt, or with any other sub, or with another dom if he chose to visit one. They had no claim on each other, just an informal arrangement to meet once a week. And while he might say in casual conversation that she was _his dom_ , everyone would understand that he only meant that she was a dom he was accustomed to visiting. Anyone could see that he didn’t have a claim bracelet on his wrist.

No, it wasn’t the idea of Tina sleeping with someone else that bothered him. It was the way those guys had been talking about her. As if she were nothing more than a sex object to be used for their own gratification. They didn’t care who she was. They didn’t care about the shy, sweet, angry, clever young woman living in that graceful body. They cared only about her body, and her red collar. Just like she’d complained about on the night they’d met.

It was unfair, and it bothered him. Even after scrubbing his skin as hard as he could with the soapy washcloth, concentrating on the rough pleasure of the sensation and trying to clear his mind of other thoughts, it still nagged at the back of his mind.

Back in his room, he chose a new outfit for the rest of the day and then grabbed his books for his next class, rushing downstairs to catch lunch before the cafeteria closed.

He saw Kurt as soon as he walked into the cafeteria, sitting alone at a table with his head bent over a book. He was still wearing the clothes he’d borrowed from Blaine that morning—a brand new pair of dark wash jeans that Blaine hadn’t gotten around to having hemmed yet, an orange t-shirt, and a gray suit vest that Blaine would never have thought to pair with so casual an outfit.  Blaine couldn’t help smiling the moment he saw him. He looked gorgeous, of course. But more than that, Kurt just made him feel happy all over. He was so lucky to have found him. Incredibly lucky, he realized all of a sudden, to have started relationships with two fantastic people on the same day.

It was quite a string of coincidences. If he hadn’t dropped his pen on the staircase a few days ago, he never would have met Kurt. And if he hadn’t met Kurt that day, he might not have been lying awake that night, which had led him to the dom dorm, where he’d met Tina.

Maybe it was fate. Maybe these were the two people he was meant for. Maybe this was his future triad, coming together all in the flash of a single moment in time. He stood there a moment, watching Kurt read his book, imagining it. The three of them together in a little apartment, each pursuing their acting careers, maybe planning to have children down the line … it would be lovely.

Blaine would be the first to admit that he was a silly romantic, and that it was too soon to leap to conclusions like that. But the fantasy of it was worth it, just for the pleasure of fantasizing. And it _could_ be true. Maybe.

\------------------------------------

Kurt startled as he felt someone slide onto the bench beside him.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Mmm, you scared me!” he scolded playfully.

“Sorry,” Blaine said, leaning against his shoulder. “I didn’t realize you were so immersed in your book.”

Kurt flipped it shut. “Oh, it’s nothing, just a play we’re reading for one of my classes.”

“I need to go grab some food from the line. You’ll still be here?”

“Yup, no rush,” Kurt said, smiling. “I’m done with classes for the day.” He watched Blaine get up and stride across the room, and not just for the nice view of his butt. Blaine made him so happy. Everything seemed somehow lighter when Blaine was there. Kurt wouldn’t mind spending all his time with him. He didn’t understand why there had to be silly things like classes to keep them apart.

“So, you’ll never believe what happened to me this morning,” Blaine said when he sat down again.

“Hmm, aside from making out with the gorgeous guy you happened to find in your bed?” Kurt joked.

Blaine snuggled into Kurt’s side and planted a light kiss on his neck. “That was amazing, but not precisely what I was referring to. It turns out that my dom is in my dance class.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “That must be awkward.”

Blaine shook his head. “Everyone seemed to think it should be, but it really wasn’t. Not for me, and it seemed not for her either. We ended up as dance partners, and it was fine. Everyone else kept making comments, though. Even the teacher.”

Kurt sighed. That statement was depressing to him on multiple levels, but he chose just the easiest one to comment on. “That’s exactly why I avoid the NYADA domhouse. Too many rumors, not enough privacy. I don’t want everyone talking about who I’m sleeping with.”

Blaine looked at Kurt, concern on his face. He placed his hand over Kurt’s on top of the table. “But you don’t mind people knowing we’re together, right?”

“Oh, no, sweetheart, of course not,” Kurt said quickly, reassuring him. “That’s completely different. You’re my boyfriend. I’m proud to be with you. Doms are … something else entirely.”

Blaine squeezed his hand. “Good. So … can I convince you to stay over again tonight?”

Kurt grinned, he couldn’t help himself. “I would love to, really, but I don’t think I can. I have to get home today, because it’s my turn to clean the apartment and I also have to do laundry and run a bunch of errands that I’ve been putting off, not to mention _brushing my teeth_ , ew. With all the stuff I have to do, I’m sure it will take the whole afternoon, and then Rachel’s going to insist on having dinner with me, and it seems silly to come all the way back into the city late at night. You know?”

Blaine pouted at him and made the most ridiculous, over-the-top, sad puppy dog eyes. Kurt giggled. “I’m sure we can survive one night apart, don’t you think?”

Blaine arched his eyebrows dramatically. “Maybe. _Maybe_. I’m not sure I want to risk it.”

“I’ll stay Friday night, okay?” Kurt offered. “Maybe I could stay the whole weekend. What would you think about—mmf!” Blaine’s eager kiss cut off his ability to speak.

Kurt didn’t have to look around the cafeteria. He could feel the eyes on him as he and Blaine ate their lunch together, sitting side by side and chatting happily, touching hands or brushing shoulders now and then. The eyes of the boys he’d dated and the ones he’d turned down for dates. The eyes of the students who’d called him a cocktease and those who’d thought he was straight. Those with whom he was casually friendly and those who detested him for his successes. He ignored all of them and focused on simply enjoying Blaine. Because Blaine was worth every bit of his attention.

\------------------------------------

Rachel burst through the door as she always did, disturbing the calm of the apartment with her flurry of motion and chatter. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious!” she called out, shrugging out of her coat and hanging it up on the rack by the door. “Is it vegan?”

“Tofu and vegetable stir fry with brown rice,” Kurt informed her. He shoved his chef’s knife through a carrot and it split in two with a sharp crack.

“I love you!” she squealed. She walked over to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, then stole a bit of diced bell pepper and popped it into her mouth.

“Hey!” Kurt protested playfully, slapping at her hand.

“Oh, there’s plenty, don’t worry,” Rachel said.

“Not if you eat it all before I even start cooking it.”

“Just one more!” She snagged another one, then twirled away.

Kurt knew Rachel would switch the tone to serious at some point, but he certainly wasn’t going to rush her on it. This was not a conversation he was particularly looking forward to. She waited until dinner was on the table before she brought it up. Perhaps, Kurt thought with a wry smile, she’d wanted to make sure he wasn’t holding knives or hot utensils when she confronted him.

“I think we should talk about last night,” she said, looking at him with an expression of overdramatic concern.

Kurt suppressed the urge to sigh. “What about it? I wasn’t even here, so I certainly couldn’t have done anything to upset you.”

“That’s exactly it,” Rachel said. “You weren’t here. You spent the night with some random guy you only met the day before. That’s not like you, Kurt.”

“Blaine is not a random guy. He’s my boyfriend.”

“It’s not like I want to deny you the happiness of having a boyfriend. It’s just that you seem to be rushing into this really quickly. And I’m worried that it’s because of … you know …”

Kurt’s forehead wrinkled. That one stumped him. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rachel lowered her voice. “The rumor. About you being straight.”

Kurt laughed out loud. “Oh god, Rachel. Do you seriously think that’s what this is about?”

“No!” she said defensively, obviously embarrassed. “Okay, fine. Yes. If we’re being perfectly honest, yes, I do think that’s what this is about. I think you got upset over a stupid rumor and you jumped into bed with the next guy who asked you, and stayed the night so people would see you leave wearing his clothes, and then, in case all of that wasn’t enough, you sat in the cafeteria making doe-eyes at him so that everyone in the whole school could be really, really sure that you’re not straight. It’s just a stupid rumor, Kurt. It’s not worth throwing yourself around with some guy you don’t care about just to prove those idiots wrong.”

He felt anger rising up inside him, but he tamped it down. He didn’t want this to escalate into a screaming match, which was the inevitable outcome if he responded defensively or lashed out in anger. He took his time, slowly chewing a mouthful of brown rice and tofu, and considering his response.

“That’s a very clever plan,” he finally said. “I wish I’d come up with it.”

“Very funny, Kurt,” Rachel said in an exasperated tone.

“No, honestly. The timing is just a coincidence. I met Blaine, I like him a lot, we started dating. That’s the whole story. It has nothing to do with the rumors, I promise you.”

“Then why did you spend the night? You’ve never done that with anyone you’ve dated, as far as I know. Not in the last year since we’ve been living together, and I’m pretty sure you never dated anyone back in Lima at all.”

Kurt shrugged. “We were out late and then we were cuddling and … it just was really comfortable, so I stayed.”

“Cuddling?” Rachel said, looking skeptical.

“Yes, cuddling. I like to cuddle, okay? Remember the whole boyfriend pillow thing?”

“Yes, but … do you mean you didn’t sleep with him?”

Kurt huffed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I did not.”

Rachel smiled warmly. She looked as if she’d won a victory and was now being friendly and gracious to the losing party. Kurt barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Good,” she said. “Because I don’t approve of you sleeping with people I’ve never met. When are you going to introduce me?”

“Seriously, Rachel? Should I bring all my doms by to get your approval, too?”

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. “ _All_ your doms? How many do you have?”

“That is _absolutely_ none of your business,” Kurt said, trying to keep his tone playful.

“Okay then. Just the boyfriend.”

“One of these days, I’m sure we’ll run into you on campus,” Kurt said.

“And this stir fry is delicious!”

\------------------------------------

_Are you awake?_ Kurt tapped into his phone in the darkness that night.

Instead of a response, his phone vibrated with an incoming call. “I miss you so much,” Blaine said softly as soon as Kurt answered the phone.

“I miss you, too,” Kurt whispered. He didn’t want to wake Rachel up.

“You could still come over.”

“That’s silly. It would take more than an hour to get there.”

“I’ll wait up,” Blaine offered.

“No, baby. We’ll see each other tomorrow, that’s soon enough.”

“It really, really isn’t.”

“I know,” Kurt said sadly.

“This is crazy,” Blaine said. “I can’t believe how much I want to be with you right now.”

“Me too. Talk to me until I fall asleep?”

“What do you want me to talk about?”

“Everything,” Kurt whispered, gazing off into the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

They stayed in on Friday night, sitting cross-legged on Blaine’s bed and eating Chinese food out of takeout containers as they critiqued the contestants on the latest trashy reality TV show sensation, Domfinders. “Tanya and Gloria are the cutest!” Blaine gushed. “I don’t understand why they rejected Jason. I was sure he was a good match for them.”

Kurt’s face screwed up as he thought about it. “He seemed to get along well with Gloria, but Tanya was suspicious the whole time.”

“She wasn’t suspicious. She was just cautious. And I don’t see why. Jason was super nice.”

“Not everyone likes a nice dom. Maybe Tanya likes them tougher. More raw and gritty. Let’s watch the next episode, see who she chooses for Gloria to try.”

Blaine clicked a button on the remote to start the next episode. “What kind of dom do you like?” he asked as the ‘last time on Domfinders’ montage played.

“Oh, I’ve tried all different kinds,” Kurt said airily. “I’ve never really found anyone I clicked with. I switch around all the time, visit different ones when I’m in different moods.”

“Really?” Blaine asked, surprised. “I’ve only had a couple of doms, but I’ve had really close relationships with them.”

Kurt shrugged. “Maybe someday I’ll find someone. Who knows? Oh! Check out this douchebag dom Tanya is talking to. Did he glue those spikes onto his collar himself? Good grief.”

Kurt was the big spoon that night, holding a sleepy Blaine in his arms. His bare chest pressed close against Blaine’s back, their pajama-clad legs slotted together at the perfect angle. He felt like he belonged here, Blaine’s dark curls brushing just against his nose, the scent of his shampoo beginning to lull Kurt into sleep.

Blaine let out a contented sigh and his breathing became slow and regular. The in and out motion of his chest moved Kurt’s arm as well, and Kurt smiled at the calm, sweet sensation. He hadn’t felt this happy in years. He placed a light kiss on the top of Blaine’s head and drifted off into sleep himself.

\-------------------------------------

Kurt woke up early the next morning, uncomfortably aroused. If he were alone, he would have just jerked off, but the situation was complicated by the adorable boy sleeping beside him. He cursed silently, wishing he’d had the foresight to visit a dom on Friday. It had only been a few days since his last visit, but he should have anticipated that hanging out with a guy as hot as Blaine would do things to him. On the other hand, he wondered if a dom would be able to satisfy this desire at all. He didn’t want sex generically. He wanted _Blaine_ , this sweet, lovely boy in particular. He didn’t want to be dominated. He wanted to share his feelings with his boyfriend in a physical way. This was a wholly new sensation for him, a completely unfamiliar line of thought.

He shifted his hips back, carefully keeping his erection from touching Blaine’s body. Blaine rolled over, woken up by Kurt’s movements. “Mmm, good morning gorgeous.”

Kurt laughed nervously and let Blaine kiss him, still keeping his hips away.

“Let’s go out!” Kurt suggested. “We could rush tickets for a musical. Does that sound good? It’s early enough that if we get going right now, we’ll have a good chance of getting tickets. What do you want to see? I’m going to go shower, okay?”

Blaine grinned. “Sounds great. Wicked? Newsies? What do you think?”

“Anything!” Kurt said, grabbing a towel to hold casually in front of himself as he rolled out of bed.

They got tickets for Wicked and then spent the day being tourists until showtime, running around New York like the giddy Midwesterners they were at heart. Kurt found himself laughing every few minutes. His heart felt so light as he let himself ignore the annoyances of day to day life in New York and simply experience the joys of the city instead. Blaine’s arm was around his waist as they walked through Central Park, and across his shoulders as they sat together in the darkened theater that evening. By the time they made it back to the dorm that night, they were both thoroughly exhausted and delighted and at peace with the world.

Kurt took his pajamas into the bathroom to change. When he returned, he found that Blaine had changed into his pajama pants, but hadn’t even bothered with a shirt. His pulse sped up, looking at his boyfriend’s broad, naked shoulders, the taper of his sides down to his slim waist in a perfect line, the V of his hip bones peeking out above his waistband. He swallowed hard, trying to keep himself in control. “Hi,” he said nervously.

“Hi,” Blaine answered softly. He crossed the room and kissed Kurt gently on his lips. “I figured the shirts would come off anyway, so … is that okay?”

“Yeah … yeah, you’re probably right.” Kurt leaned down and kissed him again, more deeply this time, his heart pounding in his chest.

Blaine took his hands when they broke the kiss, and led him to the bed, walking backwards. They tumbled down together, kissing again and again, taking little gasps of breath before diving back in again. They lay on their sides, facing each other, and Kurt’s nervousness evaporated as it was overcome by the comfort he always found in Blaine’s touch. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it carelessly to the floor—it was only pajamas, after all—and he reveled in the feeling of Blaine’s hands exploring his back as they kissed.

One of Blaine’s hands strayed lower, and his fingers fell into the dip at the top of Kurt’s crack, just above the waistband of his pajama pants. Kurt responded on instinct, rocking back eagerly into the touch, gasping at the pleasure of it. Blaine looked at Kurt, eyes wide in a combination of apology and asking permission, but Kurt couldn’t remember how to form words. They stared at each other for an intense, quiet moment, and then Kurt launched himself against Blaine, their mouths locking in a wet, open kiss, their bodies crashing together.

He wanted this more that he’d wanted anything in his life. There was no point in stopping to cool off. There was no reason to say no. He certainly couldn’t think of one. His hips rocked forward, again and again, pressing his now-hard cock against Blaine’s thigh. Blaine moaned into his mouth, and he felt Blaine’s arousal against his body, too. Blaine slid his hand beneath Kurt’s pants and underwear, cupping one cheek of his ass, guiding Kurt as they rutted their bodies together.

Kurt pushed down Blaine’s pants and underwear, never moving his mouth from Blaine’s. There was a niggling thought at the back of his mind that he had meant to not do this, but he couldn’t remember the reason and he didn’t care. He focused on the touch of Blaine’s hand instead, and let that thought fall away into nothingness. Blaine was undressing him too, and he reached down to help, pulling the fabric free from his ankles.

Their mouths broke apart for a second and Blaine whispered, “Kurt,” with the most delicious longing. Kurt tangled his hand in Blaine’s hair and kissed again, hungry and intense but slow, savoring every detail of the kiss.

\-------------------------------------

Blaine turned away for just a second to squeeze some lotion into his hand. He couldn’t believe this was happening. They hadn’t talked about sex yet, but up until now Kurt had made it very clear with his body language that he had lines that were not to be crossed. That had been fine with Blaine. After all, their relationship was very new, still less than a week old. There was no reason to rush into things.

But Kurt had done a complete reversal tonight. He was eager for this. It was obvious in every movement of his body, every sound he made, every expression that crossed his face. Whenever Blaine pulled away in the slightest, Kurt dove right back in, finding his mouth again for a deep kiss, sliding his hands lower, pulling Blaine back in, holding him every closer, ever tighter. Blaine didn’t know what had caused the change, but it was intoxicating, his own desire matching Kurt’s and intensifying at every move.

Blaine smoothed the lotion over his hands, taking a quick moment to glance down at the length of his boyfriend’s unbelievably gorgeous body. He wanted to look forever, drink in the perfection of it and enjoy every line and curve and freckle. But he couldn’t, not right now, because his eyes were inevitably drawn back up to Kurt’s face. _Oh_ , his face. So open and trusting and joyful, it made Blaine’s heart take flight. They belonged together, he was certain of that. They were meant for each other. There was so much love between them, though they hadn’t spoken the word yet. Blaine could feel his love for Kurt in every breath he took, and he saw the same love reflected back at him every time he looked in Kurt’s eyes.

So he looked in Kurt’s eyes. Stared straight into them, his heart racing, as he reached down and wrapped his hand around Kurt’s cock. Kurt let out a shuddering breath, smiled, and let his eyes flutter shut. It didn’t matter. Blaine could still see the love written all over his face.

\-------------------------------------

Blaine shifted his body against Kurt’s and suddenly his cock was lined up with Kurt’s and his hand was wrapped around both of them together. Kurt’s eyes shot open and found himself staring into the intense gaze of Blaine’s honey-colored eyes. He felt the world melt away. There was nothing but the two of them, together as one. “Blaine,” he whispered, his voice catching in his throat. Blaine kissed him and then they were rocking together, thrusting slowly and rhythmically through the tight circle of Blaine’s hand, moaning with the unbearable pleasure of each movement.

“ _Blaine, Blaine, Blaine_ ,” Kurt found himself chanting softly. His heart was so full he thought it might burst out of his chest. Every emotion he’d ever felt in his life washed over him in waves, more intense than he’d ever felt it before, a dizzying kaleidoscope of color before his eyes. And Blaine watching him through the whole thing, eyes leaving his own only to steal more kisses, one hand wrapped around their thrusting cocks, the other solidly on his lower back that felt like the only thing in the world holding Kurt steady. It was too much, wonderfully too much, and Kurt came so hard that the colors all flashed to white, his back arching with the unbearable pleasure of his orgasm.

“Kurt, oh god, Kurt.” The words rang in his ears and he felt Blaine’s body spasm against his just seconds later.

Kurt wasn’t sure how long they lay there together in silence, arms around each other, his forehead resting against Blaine’s. He floated half-aware in his afterglow, and even when he came down from it, didn’t want to move for fear of breaking the beautiful spell he felt all around him. Finally, reluctantly, he moved his head back to get a better look at Blaine’s face.

Blaine smiled at him and stroked his hair, still silent.

“That was … wow,” Kurt said, unable to find the right words.

“It really was,” Blaine agreed, only slightly more coherent than Kurt.

“Is it always like that?” Kurt asked, then immediately noticed the implications of his question. “I mean, I’ve never … not with another sub. Only with doms.”

Blaine stroked Kurt’s cheek gently with the back of his index and middle finger. “I … wow. Thank you for … sharing that with me.”

Kurt blushed.

“I don’t have all that much experience,” Blaine said, blushing a little bit himself. “I had a couple of boyfriends in high school ... we did … um … it was always slow and sweet like that, but I’ve never felt anything as intense as it was with you tonight. That was something really … special. You’re really special to me, Kurt.”

A smile spread across Kurt’s face. “You’re special to me, too.”

“I …” Blaine stopped himself, then shook his head and continued. “I know it’s too soon to say this, we’ve been dating less than a week, but … Kurt, I’m certain, I’m so sure. I’m in love with you.”

Kurt’s world came crashing down around him.

\-------------------------------------

Blaine watched Kurt’s face transition from surprise to shock to horror, a lump in his throat now that he realized he’d said exactly the wrong thing. “You don’t have to say it back,” Blaine said quickly. “It’s okay, it’s not … I just wanted to tell you, I don’t expect anything or …”

Kurt sat up and swung his legs off the bed, rooting around in the covers to find his underwear. He stood up and pulled them on.

Blaine tried again, panic rising in his chest. “Kurt, don’t … please just wait. We can take it slower, I don’t mind, I don’t need to … whatever you want, Kurt, I’m so sorry. I never meant to upset you.”

Kurt shook his head. “You weren’t supposed to fall in love with me.”

“I’m … I …” Blaine wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to a statement like that. “You’re perfect and beautiful and a lovely person. I’ve been looking for someone like you forever. How could I not fall in love with you? But it doesn’t mean … you don’t owe me anything. I’m sorry I said anything, I didn’t want to put any pressure on you or—”

“It’s not that,” Kurt said. He picked up his pajama pants and moved to put them on, then thought better of it and opened the dresser drawer where he’d stashed his change of clothes. He pulled out a pair of jeans and tugged them on instead. “I’m not what you want, Blaine. I’m not the kind of person you want to be with.”

“Of course you are,” Blaine said, confused. He took a step forward, but Kurt backed away. Blaine could see tears in his eyes that matched Blaine’s own.

“No, Blaine. I’m not. If you knew … I’m so sorry. I was … at first I thought maybe we could have some fun together without getting in too deep, and then later I … it was just so _nice_ , and you made me so _happy_ , that I wanted to enjoy it as long as I could, but I never meant for you to … I never meant to hurt you. And now I have, because you’ve fallen in love, which I never meant to happen, and … god, Blaine, I’m so sorry. I have to go.” He pulled a t-shirt over his head, then grabbed his overnight bag and started stuffing the rest of his clothes into it, heedless of wrinkling them.

Blaine felt desperation creeping up on him. The thought of losing Kurt made his stomach churn. “Kurt, please, no. Don’t leave me, I want—”

“I’m sorry, Blaine. I’m so terribly sorry.” Kurt hoisted the bag over his shoulder and stepped toward the door.

“Please just tell me what—”

Kurt stopped, and Blaine thought for a second he might be considering it. His head dropped and he brought up a hand to his forehead. But then he shook it off and took one last look over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Blaine. I can’t. I just … can’t. Try to forget me. It’s easier this way, much easier than drawing it out.”

“Kurt—”

Before Blaine could say another word, Kurt left the room and shut the door behind him.

Blaine threw on his pajamas as quickly as possible and ran out into the hallway. Kurt was stepping onto the elevator at the end of the hall.

“Kurt! Wait!” Blaine called out, running down the hallway. But Kurt stood there silently and let the doors slide shut in front of him.

His neighbor’s door was propped open, a group of students playing some sort of card game on the floor. “Sorry, Blaine,” one of them said, looking up at him sympathetically. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. You know what his rep is.”

Blaine stared down at the guy, trying to remember his name. “No, I … what?”

“Kurt Hummel never sleeps with anyone. He’s the biggest cocktease at this whole school. Rumor has it he might be straight.”

Blaine ignored him. There was no way to answer that rumor, anyway. What he and Kurt had just done was none of anyone else’s business. He stared at the elevator bank, wondering if he should take the next elevator and try to catch up with Kurt. Or if he should race down the stairs. But what would he say?

“Do you want a beer?” one of the other students offered. “We have plenty.”

“No thanks, I’ll just … I’m going to … I’ll see you later.” Blaine stumbled back into his room. He must have dialed Kurt’s number two dozen times that night, but he never answered.

\-------------------------------------

The cold air of the autumn night stung Kurt’s arms. He hadn’t bothered to put on a sweater over his t-shirt. But that was all right. The external pain distracted from the much harsher one in his heart.

The realization of that gave him an idea of what to do next. He hopped on the subway and took it four stops, to a domhouse he hadn’t visited in months. “Is Andrew available?” he asked the sub at the reception desk. A few minutes later, he was ushered into an interaction room.

Kurt was naked and on his knees by the time Andrew appeared. “Punish me,” he begged.

“Do you deserve it?” Andrew asked. He was already walking to the chest where Kurt knew the whips were kept.

“Yes, Sir. More than I ever have before.”

“What did you do, you pathetic little worm?” Andrew’s voice was cold as steel.

“I broke my own rule, and I hurt someone because of it.”

The whip was so expertly swung that Kurt didn’t feel it for three full seconds after he heard the crack.


	7. Chapter 7

“I have mace! And I’m dialing 911 right now! You’d better get out! Run away! Right now!”

“It’s just me, Rachel.” Kurt groaned internally. Rachel was the last person he wanted to deal with right now. He’d been hoping to sneak into the apartment without waking her, but the rumble of the sliding door made that impossible.

“Kurt? What are you doing home? Oh! Sorry for bothering you, Mr. Nice 911 Operator Guy, it’s just my roommate.” Rachel stepped out from behind the curtain that surrounded her sleeping area. “Why are you home? I thought you were staying at Blaine’s until Monday. More disturbingly, why are you getting home at three in the morning on Sunday?”

“It’s a long story and I really don’t want to talk about it.” Kurt swung his overnight bag down onto the couch.

“Oh my god, did you break up? Why? What happened? You were so excited about him. It was great to see you really into someone you’re dating for once.”

“Rachel, I …” Kurt rubbed his forehead. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and revel in glorious unconsciousness. He did not want to rehash the whole story, and certainly not with Rachel, who usually managed to turn everything around to be about herself. “Yes, we broke up. Can we talk about it later? I’m so tired, and it’s the middle of the night, and … I just can’t talk about it right now.”

“Of course,” Rachel said. She hugged him tightly, and Kurt cried out in pain when she pressed against the fresh wounds his dom had left on his back.

Rachel jumped back, surprised. “Oh my god, are you hurt? What happened? Did Blaine hit you? Oh my _god_! Did he turn out to secretly be a runaway dom pretending to be a sub, like Brody was? I’ll call 911 back, I should never have gotten off the phone with them before hearing the full story.”

“Rachel, _no_ ,” Kurt said, still wincing from the pain. “That Brody thing was ridiculous and weird, and Blaine is _definitely_ a sub. I went to a dom after I left his place, that’s all.”

“Why would you do something like that?” Rachel asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. “And why would your dom beat you so badly?”

“Because I asked for it. That’s all. Can we please not talk about this?”

“Let me at least check your wounds, put some ointment on them.”

“No, Rachel, I’m fine. It’s already been treated and bandaged. Very experienced dom, you don’t need to worry about anything.” Kurt turned toward his sleeping area.

“Okay,” Rachel said hesitantly. “If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. I appreciate your concern. Please just go back to sleep.”

Kurt collapsed onto his bed, on top of the covers, without even bothering to change out of his clothes. He lay gingerly on his left side, because lying on his back would aggravate the cuts there. He stared off into the middle distance, unfocusing his eyes, willing his body to relax, trying to clear his mind. The sharp pain of his dom’s whip had drowned out the pain in his heart, but now that was down to a dull throb and his heartbreak came roaring back.

He closed his eyes, but sleep didn’t come. After a few minutes, he shifted and grabbed one of the extra pillows lined up along the headboard. He held it in front of him and wrapped his arms around it tightly. “Blaine,” he whispered into the pillowcase, “I wish it could be different.”

\------------------------------

Blaine stared at the ceiling all night long, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

It had all seemed so perfect. That’s what made it confusing. The connection between them was so strong. He’d felt completely in tune with Kurt’s feelings and desires. They’d fallen into the sex so fluidly, without a single moment of hesitation. Blaine had never had such an emotional experience with another sub before, and Kurt had seemed to be right on the same page with him the whole way through. It was beautiful. It was hot. It was _meant to be_.

Everything fell apart in the instant when Blaine said he loved Kurt. Something about that was upsetting to Kurt, but Blaine had no idea why. He was sure Kurt loved him back. It was written all over his face and all over his actions.

Maybe Kurt was afraid of being in love. Maybe he was worried about being hurt. Blaine had offered to slow things down, but Kurt had brushed off that suggestion like it was nothing. For some reason, the fact of being in love was a complete dealbreaker for Kurt. But why would he only want to be in a relationship if it wasn’t a serious one? And what about Kurt’s own feelings? Was he in denial about the fact that he was in love with Blaine?

There were far more questions than answers, and that was even before getting to what his hallmates had said about Kurt. This crude taunt of being a cocktease, of all things. The reputation was understandable, given how hot Kurt was and how he’d told Blaine that he’d never slept with another sub before, but it made Blaine’s blood boil to think that people would complain about something like that as if they were entitled to get into bed with him. But that wasn’t the most baffling part. The rumor that Kurt was straight … that was completely out of left field.

Blaine couldn’t help but wonder about it. Was that why Kurt was so upset by the way their feelings for each other had progressed? If Kurt had thought he was straight and then had ended up being attracted to Blaine and falling in love with him, confusion about his sexuality might explain the way he was feeling. But it didn’t seem to add up. Kurt had been completely comfortable with dating Blaine. He’d been very much into all of their physical contact, from cuddling and holding hands to making out, and then to the sex. That wasn’t the kind of thing he would expect from someone experiencing same-sex attraction for the first time.

It didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. Blaine sighed. Sunlight was beginning to peek through the windowshade. He picked up his phone to check the time, and then scrolled through the pages of text messages he’d sent Kurt last night. None of them had been answered. He set the phone back on the nightstand and decided to stare at the ceiling for another hour or two.

\------------------------------

Tina didn’t have cell phone privileges yet. One of the domhouse staff, a claimed dom in a blue collar, knocked on the door to her room to tell her she had a phone call. She put down her class reading and followed him to an empty study room with a table and six chairs. He picked up the phone that was attached to the wall there and dialed the access code before leaving the room to give her privacy.

“Hi, Tina. It’s Blaine.” His voices sounded small and far away. “I was wondering, maybe if you’re free sometime today, could I come and see you for a little while?”

Anger surged through Tina like a tidal wave. “It’s Sunday, Blaine. We already have a meeting scheduled for two days from now. I am not your booty call. You can’t just expect me to fuck you every time you’re horny. Jesus Christ, I thought you were better than that.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I mean, no, Ma’am. I mean … that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry? I …”

Tina felt a rush of embarrassment at the misunderstanding, so she covered it with more anger. “What is it? Spit it out, Blaine, you’re wasting my time.”

“My boyfriend broke up with me and I don’t know why.” He paused and she heard a sniffle. “I’m so confused, I just … I need someone to talk to. But if you don’t want to, that’s … I understand.”

_Shit_. She was a terrible dom. Her sub needed reassurance and she’d snapped at him and jumped to all the wrong conclusions. She needed to help him, especially now that she’d gone and made things worse. But how could she possibly be capable of that? She didn’t have the first clue of what he needed or wanted. She didn’t have enough experience. Or enough ability. She was so not cut out for this. How was it even possible that she was a dom? The world made no sense.

She shook her head slowly. She was spiraling, she could recognize the signs by now. She took a deep breath and counted silently backwards from ten.

“Tina? Are you still there?” Blaine asked nervously.

“Yes, I’m here.” She took another deep breath. “Yes, you can come over. I don’t know what I can … I mean, yes. I’ll help if I can, of course.”

“Thank you,” he breathed. She could hear the relief in his voice. She hoped it was warranted, but she was pretty sure that it wasn’t.

\------------------------------

Kurt turned his phone back on around noon. There were more than a dozen texts from Blaine. He scrolled up to the top and read them in chronological order.

_Please come back._

_I should have run after you. It’s too late now. Can we pretend I ran after you? I wanted to…_

_Please just answer, Kurt. Let me know you’re okay._

_I’m sorry. Whatever it was, I’m sorry._

_Could you just tell me what’s wrong so I can apologize properly?_

_I wasn’t lying. I do love you._

_But I won’t say it again if you don’t want me to._

_I’m here whenever you want to talk._

_I can’t sleep. You can text me or call anytime, don’t worry about waking me up._

_Are you okay? I’m so worried. If you’re lying dead in a ditch somewhere I’m never going to forgive myself._

_Maybe you’re sleeping. I’ll text you again in the morning._

_But I want you to know I care about you and I will do anything to make you happy._

_Okay. Goodnight._

_Hi … it’s morning … if you feel like talking?_

_Please, Kurt. I’m so confused._

Kurt moved his fingers to tap out a reply and then stopped. He didn’t know what to do. He’d intended to cut off all contact right away, ripping off the band-aid so they could both be done with the pain as quickly as possible. But if Blaine was confused and worried, maybe not talking to him would prolong his pain. This whole thing was Kurt’s fault in the first place, so maybe he had a duty to let Blaine down as easily as possible.

Or was that line of thought a rationalization for Kurt’s desire to talk to him again? It would be so good to hear his voice, even just one more time.

No, Kurt told himself. He couldn’t get caught up in this any further. It would only make things messier in the long run.

He tapped out a reply. _I’m not dead. Please stop texting me._

His phone buzzed less than half a minute later. _Never_.

It was a sad smile on Kurt’s face, but he knew he shouldn’t be smiling at all.

 He turned off his phone again and resolved not to answer any more of Blaine’s texts.

\------------------------------

Blaine followed Tina into her dorm room. It was at least twice as big as his own, but still a single occupancy room. There was plenty of space for the queen-size bed, a desk and chair just like his own, and a wide dresser. The bed was neatly made up with a black and pink comforter on top, and the walls were plastered with posters of various bands. There were some framed snapshots on top of the dresser, but Blaine didn’t have time to take a close look at them.

“Wow,” Blaine said. “This is way nicer than any of the rooms they give subs.”

Tina rolled her eyes and held up her hands to make scare quotes. “It’s because they want us to ‘entertain guests’ in our rooms. Once we get the ‘privilege’ to do so, anyway. I haven’t ‘earned’ that yet, so no hanky panky, got it? I’d get in deep shit.”

Blaine blushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about why. I told you I’m not here for that, though. Not today.”

“I know,” Tina said. She sat down sideways in the desk chair, crossing one leg over the other at the knee. She gestured to the bed. “You can sit there.”

Blaine settled himself cross-legged on the bed. He was slightly hunched over, his shoulders rounded, and he kept his eyes on his hands folded in his lap. It felt strange to be in Tina’s room like this, coming to confide in her and ask for advice. Their relationship was so new, and while he respected her and trusted her to do her best, he didn’t have a ton of confidence in her ability to help. But he didn’t know where else to turn. He needed a dom’s strength and surety right now, so he had no choice but to come to her for advice.

He didn’t know where to start. He idly picked at a cuticle on his left thumb, hoping Tina would say something.

“So you’re having problems with your boyfriend?” Tina asked tentatively.

“He broke up with me,” Blaine answered. His voice sounded dull in his ears and the words echoed in his head over and over again.

“But you don’t know why?”

Blaine shook his head, still looking down at his lap.

“I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend,” Tina said. “Could you tell me about him?”

Blaine finally looked at her. “He’s perfect. He’s amazing. He’s … we haven’t been dating very long at all, but as soon as we met each other we wanted to spend all our time together. It was like we’d known each other our whole lives, or we’d been searching for each other or something … like everything we found out about each other fit perfectly and just _worked_. I’ve never felt anything like that before. He’s … god, this sounds crazy, but now that I know he exists, I don’t know how to live without him.”

Tina looked at him silently for a moment. “That sounds a little bit … obsessive,” she said finally.

Blaine’s confidence faltered. “I …” He didn’t know what to say, so he looked down again.

“I don’t mean it’s wrong,” she said quickly. “I mean, you and I haven’t known each other very long, but this seems to be working pretty well, right?”

He tried to smile at her, but from her reaction, he figured it must have looked as halfhearted as it felt.

Tina got up and crossed over to the bed, then sat down beside Blaine. She put her arm around his shoulders. “You know it in your heart, don’t you? That you want to be with him. That he’s something very special to you.”

Blaine nodded. He felt extremely miserable. As if Kurt’s departure wasn’t enough, now he’d basically gone and told Tina that she wasn’t as important to him as Kurt was. As if he’d ever thought of making that kind of comparison. And yet she didn’t seem to mind so much. She was trying to comfort him. And despite her first comment, she was now acting like she understood.

“Does he not feel the same way?”

“I thought he felt the same. He seemed to … No, I know he does. I’m sure of it. Everything he did, everything he said. I know he loves me. Maybe he doesn’t want to. But he does.”

“What happened when he broke up with you? What did he say?”

Blaine sighed. He’d gone over it so many times in his head that the memory had remained vivid, as if it had happened only moments ago. “We’d just had sex. It was our first time. It was … beautiful, and we were both so happy, lying there together in my bed. I told him I loved him. And then he … freaked out about it. He said I shouldn’t love him. And then he left. I tried to stop him, but he just … left.”

“He said you shouldn’t love him? What does that mean?”

“He said he’s not what I want. But he _is_. I know he is.”

“He didn’t explain that?” Tina asked.

Blaine shook his head. “No. He said if I knew who he really was, I wouldn’t want to be with him. But I _do_ know who he is. He’s amazing and lovely and _perfect_ , and I don’t care what else there is. Everything else is details. I love him and I want to be with him, and he’s just … _gone_. He won’t even answer my texts.”

Tina rubbed his shoulder. It was soothing, and Blaine let himself relax into it a little bit.

“It sounds to me like he’s scared,” Tina said.

That thought hadn’t occurred to Blaine. He mulled it over. “He didn’t act scared. He acted … sad.”

“No, he acted scared.” Tina sat up straighter, and she sounded more confident in what she was saying. “He let himself have the intimacy, but then when he realized the full extent of it, he got scared and ran away. He’s hiding something. It’s something he doesn’t like about himself, and he’s worried that you won’t like it either. So he left, because he thought it would be easier to give you up than to have you lose respect for him.”

Blaine blinked. It fit together pretty well, he had to admit. “I heard a rumor that he’s straight, but I don’t think…”

She shook her head impatiently. “That’s not it. Obviously.”

“How do you know this? You’ve never even met him.”

“I’m a dom. I read people. It’s part of the package.” She gave him a half-smile.

He was surprised to find that he could smile back, a little bit. “So what do I do now?”

“Convince him that he doesn’t need to be scared.”

Blaine’s phone buzzed. He glanced up at Tina for permission, and when she nodded, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “It’s him. He says he’s not dead, and to stop texting him.”

“Tell him you won’t stop.”

_Never._

\------------------------------

Tina banged her tray down on the table in the domhouse dining hall where Rachel and Kurt were waiting for her at lunch on Monday. “I don’t see why you’re making me eat in here even though I have lunch privileges for the main building.” She flopped down onto the chair across the table from the two of them.

“Kurt is hiding from the guy who dumped him,” Rachel stage-whispered, her hand at her mouth.

“I am not hiding,” Kurt grumbled. “And I didn’t get dumped, either. I broke up with him.”

“Sure you did,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes. “That’s why you moped around the apartment all day yesterday and you’re now refusing to be anywhere in the public areas of the school in case he sees you. That’s perfectly normal behavior for someone who initiated a breakup because they got bored. Nobody is buying your excuse, Kurt.”

Tina took a large bite of her sandwich, trying to keep up the facade of her rapidly fading anger. There was some kind of interesting story behind this.

“For your information, I _did_ break up with him. Not that it matters one way or the other. It’s over, and that’s all there is to it.”

“That’s obviously _not_ all there is to it,” Rachel said. “You were super excited about him, and then bam, you broke up, and you won’t say why, and you’re really upset about it. We’re your friends, Kurt. We want to help you feel better, but we can’t do that unless you tell us what’s wrong. Right, Tina?”

Tina quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. “You do look pretty awful,” she agreed.

“Thanks for that,” Kurt snarked back at her.

“Come on,” she said, trying to sound comforting instead of just plain curious. “Tell us what happened. I’m a dom, I’m great at giving relationship advice.”

“When have you ever given relationship advice?” Kurt asked.

“Just yesterday, to my sub, actually.”

“You have a sub?” Rachel asked, surprised and delighted.

“Oh for god’s sake, Rachel, how do you think I even earned lunch privileges in the first place? Don’t change the subject. We’re talking about Kurt.”

“Please, please change the subject,” Kurt begged.

“Not a chance,” Tina said. “What happened?”

Kurt sighed in defeat. “It wasn’t working out. Or … well, it wouldn’t have worked out. It wouldn’t have ended well, so I decided it would be better not to go through all the pain of trying.”

Tina took another bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. “Why wouldn’t it have worked out? How do you know that?”

“It just wouldn’t. It’s none of your business.” Kurt was as closed-off as ever, and Tina knew she wasn’t going to get anything more out of him.

“Okay, it’s clear you don’t want to talk about it, so here’s my unsolicited advice. We never know at the beginning how anything is going to work out in the end. You think you know, but you don’t. You never can. It’s always uncertain, no matter what. So you shouldn’t deny yourself something that’s making you happy in the present just because it _might_ be bad in the end. The only thing you can ever be sure of is right now.”

“That’s very wise, Tina,” Rachel said, sounding surprised.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Very generic, if you ask me. Was that straight out of your Domming 101 textbook?”

“No,” Tina said defensively. Kurt was right, she had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s … dom intuition.”

“Right,” Kurt snorted. “Dom intuition my ass,” he said under his breath.

“I heard that.”

“Good.”


End file.
